Adult childhood cancer survivors are 80 percent more likely to be undertreated for cardiovascular disease risk factors, a study published June 8 in the Journal of the American Heart Association found.
"These findings make underdiagnosis and undertreatment significant concerns for the estimated half a million childhood cancer survivors living in the United States," said Eric Chow, MD, lead study author and an associate professor in clinical research and public health sciences at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.
Researchers measured blood pressure, lipids, glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels in nearly 600 adults an average of 28 years after cancer diagnosis and on a comparison group of nearly 350 adults without a history of cancer.
Cancer survivors were more likely to have hypertension, abnormal lipid levels and diabetes.
Participants in both groups had similar rates of underdiagnosed hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.