Respiratory dysfunction in childhood cancer survivors: A single institution study

Background Recently, while the overall survival rate of childhood cancer has improved, research has highlighted a high incidence of comorbidities in childhood cancer survivors (CCSs). However, it is likely that many asymptomatic comorbidities go unnoticed. The purpose of the current study was to identify comorbidities unique to Japanese CCSs through comparisons with a general population that underwent comparable comprehensive medical checkups. Methods The patient group included CCSs who had completed their cancer treatment, were aged 16 years or older, and underwent the comprehensive medical checkups at the University of Tsukuba Hospital between 2018 and 2020. The control group included members of the general population who underwent comprehensive medical checkups at the same hospital in 2018. Results Seventeen CCSs and 59 controls were included. Among the CCSs, the median ages at medical checkup and diagnosis were 22.1 years (range, 16–39) and 8.7 years (range, 1.3–14.8), respectively. Incidence of abnormalities in respiratory function, hearing function, and body mass index was higher in CCSs (52.9%, p = 0.013; 17.6%, p