A recent article
in the Wall St. Journal holds important information for survivors of childhood cancer. Survivors of childhood cancer who have received anthracyline chemotherapy (doxorubicin, danuorubicin, idarubicin, epirubicin, and mitoxantrone) and/or radiation that included the heart in the treatment field must have regular follow-up to look for cardiomyopathy.
Cardiomyopathy is a weakness of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure. Prior studies have shown that the majority of childhood cancer survivors do not know details of their treatment plans- the first step is to make sure you have a written record of chemotherapy drugs and doses given along with the doses and treatment fields of any radiation therapy.
Second, regular follow-up is needed in a late effects clinic, such as the FACT (Follow Up After Cancer Treatment) clinic here at MUSC in the division of pediatric oncology. Depending on age at treatment and the details of prior therapy, echocardiograms will be used to measure heart function.
Third, all of the usual heart healthy recommendations apply and are even more critical for childhood cancer survivors. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and monitoring of cholesterol levels. Thankfully, the risk of cardiomyopathy is overall low. However, a continued focus of the Children’s Oncology Group is to not only to develop new treatments and improve cure rates but to also determine additional prognostic factors in order to determine which children may receive less treatment but preserve a high cure rate. For additional information, check out the Health Link for Heart Health at the Children’s Oncology Group website: http://www.survivorshipguidelines.org/