A healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and other complications in childhood cancer survivors. These are the results of two new international studies.
Children who survive cancer are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other chronic health problems later in life, often as a result of life-saving treatments.
Two new international studies led by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have shown that a healthy lifestyle has a preventive effect.
A study published in Nature Communications followed more than 18,000 childhood cancer survivors for up to 30 years. The results showed that most of the chronic health problems that emerge after childhood cancer can be linked to lifestyle factors, such as physical inactivity, obesity, smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption, which together account for a proportion of the disease burden in adulthood, comparable to that of previous cancer treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.
Lifestyle plays a big role
This reveals that lifestyle plays a much bigger role than previously thought. Unlike treatments that are already in place, lifestyle changes can actually be made. ”
Aaron Wanrup, pediatrician and researcher at the University of Gothenburg and former postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, USA
The second study, published in JACC: CardioOncology, focused on people who were treated for Hodgkin lymphoma as children or adolescents. The study included more than 2,300 survivors of the disease, a type of cancer that starts in the lymph nodes.
The study showed that regular physical inactivity in this group was associated with a 1.4 times higher incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to the total disease burden in the general population, or 12 times higher than could be explained by physical inactivity in the general population, even though lifestyle differences were not large.
“This means that physical activity can make a big difference in reducing the extra risks that arise after cancer treatment and modifying the negative effects of cancer treatment. Our results provide strong scientific support for providing survivors with systematic support for a healthy lifestyle,” said Aaron Wannup.
Need long-term support
Taken together, these studies highlight that a healthy lifestyle, particularly physical activity and healthy weight, may be important in preventing severe disease in childhood cancer survivors. The researchers believe this result should make lifestyle support an essential part of long-term follow-up after childhood cancer.
“This is something that is being considered in part in national health programs for long-term follow-up after childhood cancer, by highlighting the importance of mapping lifestyle habits,” says Aaron Wannup. “What we are currently working on is developing and testing ways to help these people develop long-term healthy lifestyles through interventions both in childhood, adolescence and adulthood.”
Aron Honerp is a researcher at the Department of Pediatrics at the Sahlgrenska Academy of Pediatrics at the University of Gothenburg and a specialist at the Children’s Cancer Center at Queen Sylvia Children’s Hospital, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg.
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Reference magazines:
Oneup, A. Others. (2026). The potential to reduce the risk of chronic health conditions through lifestyle in childhood cancer survivors. nature communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-73517-y. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73517-y
