Cancer screening practices among childhood cancer survivors suboptimal

Despite being at increased risk for secondary malignancies, adult survivors of childhood cancer often demonstrate cancer screening practices that are below optimal levels, new research shows.

The results are based on a study of 9434 cancer survivors and 2667 of their siblings who were surveyed regarding their cancer screening practices. The findings are reported in the December 15th online issue of Cancer and will published in the February 1st print edition.Among female cancer survivors, only 27.3% reported performing a breast exam at least once a month and just 20.9% had ever had a mammogram, lead author Dr. Mark W. Yeazal, from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and colleagues note. Nearly 63% of survivors reported having a clinical breast exam in the last year and 78.2% reported having a recent Pap test.In women 30 years of age or older, receiving chest or mantle radiotherapy were both identified as predictors of undergoing clinical breast examination or mammography.Among male cancer survivors, only 17.4% reported performing a testicular self-examination at least once a month, the investigators found.Except for Pap testing, cancer survivors were significantly more likely than their siblings to engage in each of the screening practices. For Pap testing, there was a nonsignificant trend toward more screening in the sibling group. Childhood cancer survivors should be screened for malignancies at least as often as their peers without a cancer history, the authors note. The new findings suggest, however, that screening practices in survivors often fall short of what is recommended in the general population.(Source: Cancer 2003: DOI 10.1002/cncr.20008: Reuters Health: December 15, 2003: Oncolink)