Late effects
Thanks to improved treatments, more children now survive cancer. But three in four survivors develop health problems later in life, such as heart disease, obesity or fatigue. A healthy lifestyle can help prevent or reduce these so-called late effects. Yet adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle independently can be challenging, especially given the physical and mental impact of past cancer treatments.
Personal goals
To support this group, the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology and RadboudUMC developed an online lifestyle intervention as part of the European PanCareFollowUp project. Participants aged 16 to 50 who had childhood cancer received four months of coaching via video calls with a lifestyle coach. Together, they worked on a personal lifestyle goal such as eating healthier, exercising more, or losing weight. This was followed by four months of remote follow-up support.
‘We found that 76% of participants had achieved or maintained their goals after eight months,’ says PhD candidate Selina van den Oever. ‘In addition, we saw improvements in BMI, diet quality and the number of hours of physical activity per week. That’s a promising outcome for this group.’
Start young
Although the study focused on young adults and adults, the results underline the importance of lifestyle guidance from an early age. ‘A child who learns how to influence their own health grows up more confident and resilient, even after cancer,’ says project lead Saskia Pluijm. ‘With a personalized approach, you can positively influence behavior and potentially prevent future health problems.’
Integration into care
The researchers advocate for broader integration of lifestyle information and coaching into survivorship care and the LATER clinic. Selina: ‘The personal approach really makes people feel heard. We hope to further test this method in a larger, controlled study - and ultimately embed it in standard care for childhood cancer survivors.’
The PanCareFollowUp project was made possible with support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant no. 824982). The full publication is available in Cancer Medicine. This lifestyle intervention, part of the PCFU project, is an important first step in sustainably integrating lifestyle consultations, information and support into long-term survivorship care.