Impairments that Influence Physical Function among Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Children

Carmen L. Wilson¹  Prasad L. Gawade²  Kirsten K. Ness²  Paul Nathan² 

[1] Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, MS-735 Memphis, TN 38105, USA;

关键词: childhood cancer;    cancer survivor;    late effects;    BMI;    BMD;    musculoskeletal;    cardiopulmonary;    vision;    physical function;    neuromotor;   

DOI  :  10.3390/children2010001

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Children treated for cancer are at increased risk of developing chronic health conditions, some of which may manifest during or soon after treatment while others emerge many years after therapy. These health problems may limit physical performance and functional capacity, interfering with participation in work, social, and recreational activities. In this review, we discuss treatment-induced impairments in the endocrine, musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiopulmonary systems and their influence on mobility and physical function. We found that cranial radiation at a young age was associated with a broad range of chronic conditions including obesity, short stature, low bone mineral density and neuromotor impairments. Anthracyclines and chest radiation are associated with both short and long-term cardiotoxicity. Although numerous chronic conditions are documented among individuals treated for childhood cancer, the impact of these conditions on mobility and function are not well characterized, with most studies limited to survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and brain tumors. Moving forward, further research assessing the impact of chronic conditions on participation in work and social activities is required. Moreover, interventions to prevent or ameliorate the loss of physical function among children treated for cancer are likely to become an important area of survivorship research.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.