Detailing the link between the treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood and atherosclerosis later in life

A study published in the Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine investigated the cardiovascular health of children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This study was carried out by a team of researchers at the Medical University of Lublin in Poland.

• Individuals treated for common malignancies of childhood often develop cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis and atherosclerosis-related diseases, later in life.
• In this study, the research team compared the parameters of early progression of atherosclerosis in patients with leukemia in childhood who received antineoplastic treatment and individuals not exposed to such factors.
• To do so, they recruited 64 survivors treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in childhood and 36 healthy participants.
• The researchers measured the blood serum concentrations of endothelial damage and inflammatory markers, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (E-selectin), thrombomodulin (TM), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP).
• They also assessed the participants’ common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) through ultrasound examination.
• The results showed that ALL survivors had significantly higher blood levels of sICAM-1 and hs-CRP than control participants.
• ALL patients who received antineoplastic therapy also had higher IMT values for right and left carotid arteries compared with healthy participants.
• These results suggested that endothelial injuries in blood vessels typically occur in survivors of childhood ALL.

Taken together, the findings of the study indicated that individuals treated for leukemia during childhood are at a greater risk of prematurely developing atherosclerosis.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

For more studies on the heart health of childhood cancer survivors, visit HeartDisease.news.

Journal Reference:

Sadurska E, Zaucha-Pra?mo A, Brodzisz A, Kowalczyk J, Ben-Skowronek I. PREMATURE ATHEROSCLEROSIS AFTER TREATMENT FOR ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA IN CHILDHOOD. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine. 2018; 25(1): 71–76. DOI: DOI: 10.5604/12321966.1230680