The central illustration summarizes the population attributable fractions (PAF) of each chronic health condition attributed to unfavorable lifestyle score among participants in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, n = 18,664. Credit: Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-73517-y
Healthy lifestyles can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other complications in childhood cancer survivors. These are the findings of two new international studies.
Children who survive cancer are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic health problems later in life—often as a result of the treatment that saved their lives.
Two new international studies, led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital now show that a healthy lifestyle can have a protective effect.
In one study, published in Nature Communications, over 18,000 childhood cancer survivors were followed for up to 30 years. The results show that a large proportion of chronic health problems emerging following childhood cancer can be linked to lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, obesity, smoking and high alcohol intake—and that these factors together account for a proportion of the burden of disease in adulthood that is comparable to what previous cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy account for.
