People treated for leukemia in the childhood are much more prone to other types of cancer later in their lives, a study published
on Tuesday, revealed.
The study, held at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, involved 2169 people who were treated for acute lymphoblastic
leukemia as children and adolescents between 1962 and 1998.
As their cancer decreased considerably, their health was monitored for nineteen years on average. The researchers found that childhood leukemia survivors faced 13.5 times more threat of developing other types of cancers than the general population.
The study further showed that the occurrence of new cancer increased over 30 years of their leukemia
treatment. Among the 1290 patients who remained in complete remission, about 10 per cent developed other forms of cancer, with a relatively rapid increase starting 20 years after the original treatment.