EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE:
November 6, 2006 at 6:00 PM (EST) 

CONTACT:
Danielle Potuto
703-519-1422
Todd Bentsen
703-519-2925

-- Cranial Radiation Therapy May Increase Risk --

Alexandria, VA—A new study shows that long-term survivors of childhood leukemia and brain tumors are at increased risk of stroke years after their cancer treatment has ended, especially those treated with a particular type of radiation therapy. The research, conducted as part of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), is being published online November 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

“This is the first study to show that childhood leukemia and brain tumor survivors are at an increased risk of stroke,” said Daniel C. Bowers, MD, an Associate Professor in Pediatrics at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and the study’s lead author. “These strokes can occur 10 to 20 years after diagnosis, when most people believe they are no longer at risk for new side effects of treatment, underscoring the need for long-term medical follow-up for childhood cancer survivors.”

Leukemia and brain tumors together account for 53% of all cancers diagnosed in children younger than 15. Current five-year survival rates are nearly 80% for leukemia and 74% for brain tumors, making the long-term side effects of treatment for these cancers an important area of study. Treatment for both diseases involves therapy that targets the central nervous system; treatment for brain tumor patients usually involves moderate or high-dose radiation therapy to the brain (known as cranial radiotherapy). For leukemia patients, treatment includes drugs injected directly into the spinal fluid and sometimes includes cranial radiotherapy.

CCSS researchers surveyed 4,828 leukemia survivors and 1,871 brain tumor survivors, as well as a control group of 3,846 of their siblings who had not had cancer, about their history of stroke. Among leukemia survivors, the occurrence of stroke was 0.8% (one in every 125 survivors), compared with 0.2% (one in every 500 survivors) for the control group. The mean interval from leukemia diagnosis to stroke was 10 years. For brain tumor survivors, the occurrence of stroke was 3.4% (one in 30 survivors), and as high as 6.5% (one in 15 survivors) for patients who had been treated with both cranial radiotherapy and chemotherapy.   Among brain tumor survivors, the mean interval from cancer diagnosis to stroke following treatment was 14 years.

The authors noted that other late effects of childhood cancer treatment include secondary cancers, neurocognitive deficits, hormone deficiencies, cardiac problems, obesity, and short stature. “It is important for survivors and their doctors to know that the impact of some of these long-term effects can be reduced through careful follow-up screening and care, and education to help survivors stay healthy long after their treatment has ended,” Dr. Bowers said. “This study shows that we’re not there yet. These efforts must be increased and improved.”

“Late Occurring Stroke Among Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Leukemia and Brain Tumors: A Report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS).”  Daniel C. Bowers, MD, et al, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX.

A consumer information piece on this study can be found on ASCO’s patient website, People Living With Cancer.org, at www.plwc.org/CancerAdvances. For more information on cancer in children, please visit ASCO’s consumer website People Living With Cancer www.plwc.org.

The Journal of Clinical Oncology is the semi-monthly peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s leading professional society representing physicians who treat people with cancer.

ATTRIBUTION TO THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY IS REQUESTED IN ALL NEWS COVERAGE.

For the full text of any JCO article, contact 703-519-1422 or 703-519-2925.

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