Healthy lifestyle habits may protect childhood cancer survivors

Children who survive cancer face an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other chronic health conditions later in life, often as a consequence of the treatments that saved their lives.

Two international studies led by researchers from the University of Gothenburg and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital now show that a healthy lifestyle may have a protective effect.

One of the studies, published in Nature Communications, followed more than 18,000 childhood cancer survivors for up to 30 years. The findings show that a large proportion of the chronic health problems experienced after childhood cancer can be linked to lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, smoking and high alcohol consumption. Together, these factors account for an equal or greater share of the disease burden in adulthood than previous cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

“These findings show that lifestyle plays a much greater role than previously thought. Unlike treatments that have already been given, lifestyle factors can be modified,” says Aron Onerup, paediatrician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and researcher at the University of Gothenburg, and former postdoctoral researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, USA.

The second study, published in JACC: CardioOncology, focused specifically on people who were treated for Hodgkin lymphoma during childhood or adolescence. The study included more than 2,300 survivors of the disease, a cancer that affects the lymphatic system.

The researchers found that a lack of regular physical activity contributes to a 1.4-fold higher burden of cardiovascular disease in this group compared with the overall disease burden in the general population. This impact was twelve times greater than the contribution of insufficient physical activity to cardiovascular disease in the general population, despite only small differences in lifestyle habits between the groups.

“This means that physical activity can make a substantial difference in reducing the additional risk associated with cancer treatment. Our findings provide strong scientific support for offering survivors structured support to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle habits,” says Aron Onerup.

Taken together, the studies highlight that healthy lifestyle habits, particularly regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight, may be crucial in preventing serious diseases among people who survived cancer in childhood. The researchers believe that lifestyle support should become an integral part of long-term follow-up care after childhood cancer.

“This is something that has already been partly addressed in the national clinical guidelines for long-term follow-up after childhood cancer, which emphasise the importance of assessing lifestyle habits,” says Aron Onerup. “Our current work focuses on developing and evaluating ways to support these individuals in maintaining healthy lifestyle habits over the long term, through interventions during childhood, adolescence and adulthood.”

Studies

Potential for risk reduction of chronic health conditions through lifestyle in childhood cancer survivors (Nature Communications, 29 May, 2026) 
 
Potential of exercise for prevention of cardiovascular disease in survivors of childhood Hodgkin lymphoma (JACC: CardioOncology, 17 feb, 2026) 

Source: University of Gothenburg