空气污染对儿童癌症幸存者构成威胁

SALT LAKE CITY – Poor air quality days significantly increase the risk of hospitalizations for respiratory issues in young survivors of cancer, 根据… 研究 conducted by researchers at 亨茨曼癌症研究所 (HCI) 在 犹他大学 （U of U）并发表于 International Journal of Environmental 研究 和 Public Health.

Better treatments—developed through research—have resulted in a dramatic increase in the rates of childhood cancer survival; today, nearly 80 percent of children 诊断 with cancer will survive their disease. 然而, these survivors may experience long-term detrimental health issues related to their cancer treatment. 在这个项目中, HCI researchers sought to better underst和 what a polluted environment means for the health of cancer survivors who may already be at a higher risk for illness because of the type of cancer treatment they received. 该小组检查了近4名儿童的医疗记录,000年的童年, 青少年, 年轻的成年癌症幸存者被诊断或治疗 初级儿童医院 从1986年到2012年. They tracked when 和 how often those survivors required emergency room treatment or were admitted to a hospital in Utah due to respiratory illness. The 研究 was divided into three groups: those who received chemotherapy as part of their cancer treatment, 那些没有接受化疗的人, 还有一组没有癌症. The researchers found the risk for respiratory hospitalization was significantly higher among the survivors who received chemotherapy compared to the cancer-free group.

HCI’s researchers were specifically looking at what happened to survivors on unhealthy air days. The 研究 found the risk for hospitalizations among cancer survivors was significant when air pollution (PM2.5)低于敏感组标准(35.4µg / m3), implying that levels below that protective st和ard may still contribute to respiratory problems for cancer survivors. 在这三个人中,819名幸存者参与了这项研究, 185 had a total of 335 respiratory events documented in their medical record. 91 percent of hospitalizations 和 75 percent of emergency room visits took place along the Wasatch Front counties of Salt Lake, 戴维斯, 犹他和韦伯.

This is the first 研究 to report a connection between PM2.5 levels 和 childhood cancer survivors requiring emergency treatment or hospitalization for respiratory issues. Survivors of childhood cancers may have higher vulnerability to high levels of PM2.5 because of lung damage 和 potential immunosuppression resulting from cancer 和 treatment with chemotherapy.

“This 研究 has wide application to cancer survivors in Utah as well as nationwide,朱蒂说。, 博士学位, a cancer epidemiologist at HCI 和 lead author on the 研究. “There are approximately 17 million cancer survivors in the United States, 统计数据显示，大约有40%的美国人.S. population lives in places that are considered polluted at certain times of the year. This 研究 provides valuable information to the medical community about how air pollution affects young survivors of cancer. 大发娱乐可以利用这一点来制定应对这一风险的策略.”

安妮·基尔霍夫博士, HCI cancer researcher 和 associate professor of pediatrics 在 U of U, 说, “We really haven’t thought about how environmental exposures may affect long-term healthcare needs 和 health outcomes. 大发娱乐可能需要重新考虑指导方针, both on air pollution notifications from 公共 health agencies as well as guidelines we’re giving cancer patients.”

Kirchhoff 和 Ou are working to identify effective strategies for sharing this information with health advocates, 空气质素机构, 受儿童癌症影响的家庭. The researchers collaborated with scientists from other departments 在 犹他大学 和 Brigham Young University on this work.

研究人员称 犹他州人口数据库 对他们的研究至关重要吗. They hope to use the resource on a follow-up project that would include a larger sample size to further evaluate the results of this 研究. They would also like to extend the 研究 to adult cancer survivor populations. “We would like to underst和 the effects of pollution on a large sample 和 be able to provide guidance to cancer survivors across the country,欧说。.

This HCI-led research is supported by the National Cancer Institute grant P30 CA042014, St. Baldrick基金会儿童癌症研究基金, 亨斯迈癌症基金会, 和 Intermountain Healthcare’s 初级儿童医院.