Children with History of Lymphoma Prone to Gastrointestinal Problems

According to a new study, children who have been successfully treated for lymphoma or another type of cancer are more likely to develop mild to severe gastrointestinal problems in the future.

In order to come to their conclusions, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco analyzed the gastrointestinal problems of 14,358 patients. These patients, who self-reported the problems, survived at minimum five years of treatment for cancers like lymphoma, leukemia, brain tumors or bone tumors.

The researchers found that over 40 percent of the subjects experienced some sort of gastrointestinal issues within two decades of their treatment, including but not limited to: ulcers, esophageal disease, indigestion, polyps, chronic diarrhea, colitis, gallstones and jaundice.

"While physicians continue to learn about the long-term consequences of pediatric cancer and its therapy, it is essential that we provide comprehensive follow-up care that appropriately addresses the complications cancer survivors may experience," lead study author Dr. Robert Goldsby, pediatric cancer specialist at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and director of the UCSF Survivors of Childhood Cancer Program, said in a news release.

"These are serious issues that can have a real impact on a person's quality of life," Goldsby added.

Nevertheless, all of the scientists involved agreed that more research needs to be conducted before any definitive conclusions can be reached from these results.