SURVIVORS of childhood cancer who live past age 50 face a significantly higher risk of premature death and serious health problems compared with the general population, according to new findings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. The analysis sheds light on long-term outcomes for a growing group of survivors now reaching older adulthood.
Researchers examined data from 7,490 survivors who lived beyond age 50, focusing on mortality, new cancers, chronic health conditions, frailty, and overall health status. The results showed that survivors had a 3.2 times higher risk of death compared to the general U.S. population. Mortality rates after age 50 were 8% at five years, 18% at ten years, and 32% at fifteen years (95% Confidence Internal [CI]: 3.0 to 3.4).
The leading cause of death was new cancers, with survivors nearly five times more likely to develop them (standardized mortality ratios [SMR] = 4.7; 95% CI: 4.2 to 5.2). Radiation therapy, a common childhood treatment in earlier decades, played a significant role. Researchers found that radiation exposure accounted for about 40% of new cancer cases, while chemotherapy did not show a strong link to late-life health outcomes.
Survivors were also more than twice as likely to develop severe or life-threatening chronic health conditions compared with their siblings.
Experts stress that the findings highlight the urgent need for lifelong medical monitoring and survivorship care tailored to past cancer treatments. As childhood cancer survival rates improve, anticipating health challenges later in life will be crucial to improving quality of life for older survivors.
Reference
Bhandari R et al. Health outcomes beyond age 50 years in survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the childhood cancer survivor study. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2025:JCO2500385.
