Pre-graudate research student
Julia Palmborg
H.C. Andersens Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital
Projekt styring | ||
Projekt status | Closed | |
Data indsamlingsdatoer | ||
Start | 01.05.2016 | |
Slut | 31.05.2017 | |
The study involves possible late-onset side effects among patients who have been treated with antracycline for Acute Lymphatic Leukemia(ALL) in their childhood.
The purpose of the project, is to investigate whether cardial state declines over time, in those treated with antracyclines as part of their treatment against ALL during childhood. The patients will be examined with echocardiography to measure the function of the left ventricle.
The treatment for children whit ALL has improved significantly during the last decades and as a result more children survive their ALL. This success is mainly due to more intense chemoteraphy treatment.
Studies have shown that there is a higher mortality among adult individuals who survive ALL in their childhood. It is well known that antracyclines can have a symptomatically negative effect on the heart muscle, in addition this could be a contributing factor to the higher mortality. Whether antracyclines can have a sub-clinical effect on the heart as well, is less investigated. This study would like to approach the above mentioned problem, and explore whether or not there can be observed sub-clinical late-onset changes of the heart muscle, among those treated with antracycline for ALL in their childhood.
A population of 125 patients, who have been treated for ALL in their childhood, will be offered an echocardiography examination, and asked to answer a few questions about possible symptoms they acknowledge from their heart in their everyday life. The results of the examination will be compared to echocardiographies, that the patient had taken prior to this study, in relation to the follow-up that is part of the patients regular treatment.
Previously at H.C. Andersen Children's hospital, there has been a study that explored the possible late-onset effects of antracycline treatment during childhood. This study showed presence of subclinical cardiomyopathy with impaired ejection fraction (EF) and dilatation of the left ventricle, in comparison with calculated references based on the background population.
The purpose of the project is to investigate whether cardial state declines over time, in those treated with antracyclines as part of their treatment for ALL during childhood. In addition, we will also examine the incidens and possible predisposing factors for developing kardiomyopathy in those children treated with antracycline for ALL.
To give former ALL patients a healthy life as adults, it is important to acknowledge the possible negative changes of the heart muscle after treatment with antracycline to prevent them from developing into heart failure.
The study population will consist of 125 former ALL patients, who were admitted and treated at H.C.A. Childrens Hospital, Odens University Hospital in 1986-2012. Everyone has been treated according to ALL protocol from the Nordic Society of Hemathology and Oncology(NOPHO) or after the german BFM protocol.
The population consists of both children and adults, male and female. Approximately half of the population is considered being under age.
Inclusion criteria are as follows:
We will collect clinical data from the patients journals and ALL treatment protocol. It will contain information about their age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, age at diagnosis, age at ended treatment, follow-up- time from last treatment and the total amount of antracycline that they received during their treatment for ALL.
Our major data collection will be in terms of measurements of the left ventricle from an echocardiography examination. Following measurements will be registered:
During the echocardiography examination, the patients will be asked questions about their cardiac health. These answers will also be part of the data collection.
H.C. Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital