Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health, Oncology, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Epidemiology
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Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Potential for risk reduction of chronic health conditions through lifestyle in childhood cancer survivors Aron Onerup, Qi Liu, Shizue Izumi, Stephanie B. Dixon, Rebecca M. Howell, et al. Nature Communications, 2026 Childhood cancer survivors are at high risk for treatment-related chronic health conditions. How much of this risk can be attributed to lifestyle is not known. In this study, we assess associations between lifestyle and a range of chronic health conditions and estimate lifestyle-specific population attributable fractions for chronic health conditions in survivors and compare them to those of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Here we show that unhealthy lifestyle is associated with higher risk for subsequent hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, valvular disease, joint replacement, anxiety, depression, and impaired physical and mental quality of life. Disease proportions attributed to unhealthy lifestyle exceed those of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for hypertension, diabetes, joint replacement, anxiety, depression, and impaired physical and mental quality of life. Unlike previous cancer treatment exposures, lifestyle can be modified. We need to further develop and implement effective lifestyle interventions in childhood cancer survivors, promoting healthy weight and physical activity.
Standards for reporting research methods, interventions, and Outcomes in Surgical Prehabilitation studies (SOS-Prehab) Chelsia Gillis, Daniel I McIsaac, Daniel Santa Mina, Stéphanie Chevalier, Gabriele Baldini, et al. British Journal of Surgery, 2026 Background Prehabilitation, a process of building physiological reserve before surgery to improve postoperative outcomes, is a complex, multimodal intervention that requires rigorous evaluation in clinical trials. Incomplete reporting by such trials obscures essential intervention components and delivery contexts, hindering comparability and interpretability. This, in turn, limits clinical implementation and the replication or refinement of interventions by researchers. The aim of this study was to develop a reporting checklist for RCTs of prehabilitation. Methods A modified two-round Delphi process using the EQUATOR framework with 53 international experts across exercise, nutrition, psychological, and perioperative care disciplines was conducted. An initial checklist of candidate items was adapted from existing reporting standards, contextualized for prehabilitation, and iteratively refined through expert voting. Items rated eight to nine on a nine-point scale by ≥70% of participants in round two were classified as ‘essential’ and those rated seven were considered ‘important’. Results The final checklist comprised 40 items. Sixteen items were classified as ‘essential’ and 24 items were classified as ‘important’ for guiding comprehensive reporting of prehabilitation interventions. These items span key domains including intervention components, delivery methods, adherence, participant characteristics, and outcome measures. High agreement among experts underscores the checklist’s relevance and usability. Conclusion Adoption of Standards for reporting research methods, interventions, and Outcomes in Surgical Prehabilitation studies (SOS-Prehab), alongside methodological and outcome-reporting items of CONSORT could improve transparency, completeness, and interpretability of prehabilitation trials. This could enable better reproducibility, robust evidence synthesis, and accelerate translation into clinical practice and policy.
Beyond P Values Fariba Abbassi, Matthias Pfister, Julia Braun, Eva Angenete, Eva Haglind, et al. Annals of Surgery, 2025 Objective: To estimate the Minimal Important Difference (MID) of the Comprehensive Complication Index® (CCI®) in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Background: The CCI® is a validated metric that quantifies cumulative surgical morbidity. While the CCI® is a sensitive endpoint to detect treatment effects, a statistically significant effect does not necessarily translate into clinical relevance. Relevant differences from the patients’ perspective are best captured by the MID. Methods: Individual patient data were extracted from surgical studies reporting CCI® at 30 days and using Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) with established MIDs at baseline and 30 days. To determine the MID for the CCI® we used an anchor-based approach as recommended by methods guidelines. A PROM was selected as an anchor only if the Spearman correlation coefficient between its change in score (baseline to 30 d postoperative) and the CCI® was ≥|0.30|. We used linear regression to estimate the MID of the CCI® across different anchors, and triangulation to determine a single MID. Results: Data were extracted from three published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one prospective observational study (n=1583 patients) in major abdominal surgery. In colorectal surgery cohorts, two sub-scores of the Short Form-36, two sub-scores of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20, the EuroQol-5-Dimension Index Score, and the EuroQol Visual Analog Scale showed a correlation with the CCI® of ≥|0.30|. This resulted in MID estimates for the CCI® ranging from 6.1 to 22.2. In hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery, one sub-score of the Short Form-36, and two sub-scores of the PROM Information System-29 questionnaire qualified as anchors providing MID estimates ranging from 6.2 to 13.8. Conclusion: We propose a mean difference of 12 points in the CCI® between treatment groups as a relevant difference in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. This MID provides an important foundation for sample size calculations and interpretation of RCTs and large real world observational studies.
Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, and Subsequent Neoplasm Risk Among Childhood Cancer Survivors Lenat Joffe, Sedigheh Mirzaei, Shalini Bhatia, Himani Darji, Kirsten K. Ness, et al. JAMA Oncology, 2025 ImportanceHigh body mass index (BMI) and low physical activity levels are risk factors for adult-onset cancers. Limited data exist on their relationship with subsequent neoplasms among childhood cancer survivors.ObjectiveTo evaluate associations between time-varying BMI/physical activity and subsequent neoplasm risk among childhood cancer survivors.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective cohort analysis included 5-year childhood cancer survivors diagnosed younger than 21 years of age between 1970 and 1999, enrolled in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), with follow-up through September 2019 at pediatric tertiary care hospitals in the US and Canada. The data analysis was performed between March 2021 and July 2024.ExposuresSelf-reported time-varying BMI and maximum reported physical activity (metabolic equivalent of task h/wk [MET-h/wk]) before any subsequent neoplasm development; first assessed at cohort entry and up to 6 times thereafter.Main Outcomes and MeasuresCumulative incidence by physical activity level and relative rates (RRs) by physical activity and time-varying BMI categories, adjusted for demographic and clinical variables, were estimated for any, subtype (hematologic, solid organ, central nervous system [CNS], skin), and specific (breast, thyroid, colorectal, meningioma) subsequent neoplasms using piecewise exponential models.ResultsOf 25 658 enrolled CCSS participants, 22 716 had BMI data before subsequent neoplasm development and met eligibility criteria for this study (46.3% female; median [range] attained age, 33.7 [5.7-67.3 years]). Among 22 716 survivors, 2554 subsequent neoplasms occurred among 2156 individuals (56.7% female; median [range] age at subsequent neoplasm diagnosis, 37.4 [13.7-63.3] years). Survivors reporting lower physical activity had higher 30-year subsequent neoplasm cumulative incidence: 18.6% (95% CI, 17.0-20.3) for 0 MET-h/wk vs 10.9% (95% CI, 9.9-12.1) for 15-21 MET-h/wk. Obese BMI was associated with increased incidence rates of solid organ (RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.01-1.46), CNS (RR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.12-1.95), and skin (RR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.13-1.50) subsequent neoplasms. Higher physical activity (15-21 MET-h/wk) demonstrated a protective association for any (RR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.53-0.71), solid organ (RR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.52-0.83), CNS (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.35-0.70), and skin (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.60-0.86) subsequent neoplasms. BMI and physical activity were specifically associated with subsequent meningiomas and thyroid carcinomas, but not with breast or colorectal cancers, nor hematologic subsequent neoplasms.Conclusions and RelevanceAmong childhood cancer survivors in this cohort study, obesity was associated with an increased risk for multiple subsequent neoplasm types, while higher physical activity was associated with reduced subsequent neoplasm risk. Lifestyle interventions should be considered in future subsequent neoplasm prevention research.
Is this the road to health? - The person in precision health Stefan Nilsson, Helena Hansson, Philip Moons, Aron Onerup, Markus Saarijärvi, et al. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 2025 Precision health and person-centred care (PCC) represent complementary approaches to improve healthcare. Precision health emphasizes personalized prevention and the early detection of disease, leveraging a data-driven biopsychosocial approach. PCC emphasizes patient autonomy, values, and holistic well-being. Integrating these paradigms can enhance healthcare by aligning advanced, data-driven precision with the individual engagement of PCC. This synthesis supports tailored treatments, patient participation, and equity while addressing challenges like workforce capacity, digitalisation, and health disparities. Successfully combining these models promises a responsive healthcare system, advancing both clinical outcomes and research methodologies through shared principles and innovative practices.
Movement efficiency in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a report from the St. Jude lifetime cohort study Aron Onerup, Sedigheh Mirzaei S., Matthew D. Wogksch, Chelsea G. Goodenough, Genevieve Lambert, et al. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 2025 Purpose Movement efficiency, a measure of neuromuscular biomechanics, may be modified by physical activity. We aimed to assess the risk of and risk factors for low movement efficiency in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Methods Participants underwent an assessment of activity energy expenditure (AEE) with actigraphy, and the gold standard doubly labeled water, where the differences between elimination rates of oxygen and hydrogen from body water are evaluated over a week. Movement efficiency was assessed using the raw residuals of a linear regression between AEEs from accelerometers and doubly labeled water. Elastic-net logistic regressions were used to identify demographic, treatment, and functional variables associated with movement efficiency. Results The study cohort included 256 non-cancer controls and 302 ALL survivors (48% female), categorized as efficient (N = 24), normal (N = 245), or inefficient (N = 33) based on their movement efficiency. There was no difference in the odds for poor movement efficiency between survivors (n = 33, 10.9%) compared to controls (n = 23, 9.0%, odds ratio [OR]: 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67, 2.10; p = 0.55). In survivors, neuropathy was associated with a higher risk of being inefficient compared to efficient (OR 4.30, 95% CI 1.03–17.96), while obesity (≥ 30 kg/m2) had a protective association (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04–0.87). Conclusions Neuropathy was associated with a higher risk of poor movement efficiency in survivors of childhood ALL. Implications for cancer survivors These results further highlight impairments associated with treatment-induced neuropathy in survivors of childhood ALL.
Supervised Physical Activity Interventions in Children and Adolescents with Cancer Undergoing Treatment—A Systematic Review Nadja Battanta, Krystyna Lange, Sabine V. Kesting, Daniela Marx-Berger, Philip Heesen, et al. Current Oncology, 2025 Background: A cancer diagnosis and its treatment often disrupt a child’s and adolescent’s normal level of physical activity, which plays a vital role in their development and health. They are therefore often less physically active during treatment than before the diagnosis or compared to healthy peers. Today, there is no comprehensive overview of the safety, feasibility, clinical effectiveness, and potentially long-lasting impact of physical activity (PA) interventions in this population. Methods: We conducted a systematic review in PubMed according to PRISMA guidelines to evaluate studies on PA interventions during cancer treatment in children and adolescents up to 25 years of age. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tools to assess the risk of bias. Due to the heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes, we used descriptive approaches only to present the results. Results: Half of the 21 included studies were randomized controlled trials (10/21). PA interventions were found to be safe and feasible when tailored to the patient’s age, treatment phase, and clinical condition. Most studies reported improvements in physical fitness, strength, and quality of life, with some reductions in fatigue. Variability in interventions and outcomes, along with small sample sizes and heterogeneous patient populations, made it difficult to draw clear conclusions. Conclusions: PA appears to be a feasible and, in terms of injuries, safe adjunct to cancer treatment in children and adolescents. Despite promising trends, further large-scale, multicenter trials with standardized protocols are needed to better establish the long-term benefits and optimal interventions.
Physical activity supports cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength and has positive effects on quality of life among cancer survivors Lakartidningen, 2022