Bloomberg — Children who survive cancer have a nine times higher risk of developing another type of tumour later in life than those who never had the disease, a study found.The study, which reviewed medical records from 14,372 childhood cancer survivors, was the largest to look at the risks for developing a secondary sarcoma beyond radiation, the researchers said. Sarcomas occur in the connective or supportive tissue of the body, including bone, fat or muscle.

Those at highest risk for developing a secondary tumour were first diagnosed with soft tissue or bone sarcomas, kidney cancer or Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer of the body’s immune and blood- forming systems, the study found. Researchers hope the findings will lead to a better understanding of who is likely to develop secondary sarcomas and spur more tailored care.

“My main hope is that there’s more of a shift to understand that cancer survivors really need to have tailored care throughout their lives,” said Tara Henderson, the study’s lead author, in a telephone interview.

“Overall the real focus in paediatric oncology now is developing new therapies that balance the cure rate with long-term survival late effects.”

The study appears tomorrow in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Patients studied developed the secondary sarcomas about 11 years after they were first diagnosed with cancer, the researchers found. Their median age was 20. Risk factors included radiation therapy or getting higher doses of certain chemotherapy drugs, having a family history of cancer or being diagnosed with their first cancer at a young age.

Researchers found that 108 of the 751 study participants diagnosed with cancer a second time had sarcomas.

Sarcomas are difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are often “nonspecific,” according to the study.

“The clinician who is alert to a patient’s prior history is in a better position to make an early and possibly life-saving diagnosis because early detection of these tumours is associated with decreased morbidity,” the researchers said.

Preliminary findings from the study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in 2005, said Henderson, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Chicago. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

More than 12,000 people under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year and the overall cure rate is more than 70 percent, the researchers said.

“Thirty years ago, being diagnosed with cancer was a death sentence,” Henderson said.

“In many cases, we have given toxic drugs and radiation to young bodies during vital stages of development. We’re beginning to see what the effects are on these patients.”