Risk and impact of pulmonary complications in survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

BACKGROUND Pulmonary complications after cancer therapy are varied. This study describes pulmonary outcomes among childhood cancer survivors and evaluates their impact on daily activities. METHODS The incidence of pulmonary outcomes (asthma, chronic cough, emphysema, lung fibrosis, oxygen need, and recurrent pneumonia) reported among 5‐year cancer survivors (n = 14,316) and the incidence of death due to pulmonary causes among all eligible survivors (n = 20,690) in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study were compared with those for sibling controls (n = 4027) with cumulative incidence, standardized mortality ratio (SMR), and piecewise exponential models. Logistic regression with random effects was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for activity limitations with pulmonary complications. RESULTS By the age of 45 years, the cumulative incidence of any pulmonary condition was 29.6% (95% CI, 29.1%‐30.0%) for cancer survivors and 26.5% (95% CI, 24.9%‐28.0%) for siblings. Fewer survivors reported ever smoking (23.6% vs 36.4%, P