Adverse health outcomes in survivors of childhood cancer

Reulen, Raoul (2009). Adverse health outcomes in survivors of childhood cancer. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

reulen09phd.pdf
PDF - Redacted Version
Restricted to Repository staff only until 31 December 2039.
Download (876kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

This thesis concerns investigations into adverse health outcomes among survivors of childhood cancer using the British Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (BCCSS). The BCCSS is a large-scale population-based cohort of 17,981 survivors of childhood cancer who were diagnosed with childhood cancer (age 0-14 years) between 1940 and 1991, in Britain, and had survived for at least five years. The specific aims were to investigate, within the BCCSS cohort; (1) the psychometric properties of the SF-36 health-status questionnaire, (2) the self-reported health-status by using the SF-36, (3) the effect of therapeutic radiation on the offspring sex ratio, (4) the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and (5) the risks of second primary breast cancer. This thesis demonstrates that the SF-36 questionnaire exhibits good validity and reliability when used in long-term survivors of childhood cancer. Survivors rate their physical and mental health similarly to those in the general population, apart from bone and central nervous system tumour survivors who rate their physical health below population norms. Therapeutic irradiation does not alter the sex ratio of offspring. Female survivors exposed to abdominal irradiation are at a three-fold risk of delivering premature and two-fold risk of producing low birth-weight offspring. Lastly, the risk of breast cancer among female survivors is two-fold that of the general population, but is not sustained into ages at which the risk of breast cancer in the general population becomes substantial.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):