Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) survivors treated with total
body irradiation (TBI) are known to be at increased risk for the development of
cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF). We sought to characterize the incidence of
CVRF in a TBI-exposed survivor cohort and describe prognostic indicators of
their development. Retrospective analysis of CVRF in 1-year survivors of
leukemia or lymphoma treated with TBI at Memorial Sloan Kettering from April
1987–May 2011. Eligible participants were≤ 21 years of age at
TBI and were not on glucocorticoids at the time of entry to Long-Term Follow-Up.
Survivors were assessed for obesity (body mass index
[BMI]≥ 95th% for ages≤ 20;
≥30 kg/m2 for ages >20 years), elevated blood
pressure, dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides [TG], low
high-density lipoprotein [HDL]), and glucose intolerance
(fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dl); those with ≥3 risk factors were
deemed to have a CVRF cluster, a surrogate for metabolic syndrome. Cox
regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) evaluating factors
associated with each CVRF. In order to compare prevalence of CVRF in HCT
survivors and the general population, survivors were compared to age-, sex-, and
race-matched controls from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES). 123 survivors were evaluated (62.6% male). Median age at TBI
was 11.8 years (range 1.6–21.9); median followup was 8.0 years
(1.01–24.6); median age at last followup 20.1 years (4.0–41.3).
Five-year cumulative incidence of elevated blood pressure, elevated glucose, low
HDL, hypertriglyceridemia, and obesity was 14.7%, 10.5%,
26.8%, 39.2%, and 16.0%, respectively, while 10-year
cumulative incidence was 28.8%, 33.1%, 52.0%,
65.0%, and 18.6%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of CVRF
cluster rose from 10.6% (5.6–17.5) at 5 years to 28.4%
(18.8–38.7) at 10 years. In multivariate analysis, growth hormone (GH)
deficiency (HR 8.6; 95% CI, 2.1–34.4, p=0.002), history
of cranial radiation (HR 4.0; 95% CI, 1.7–9.6, p=0.002),
and grade II-IV acute GVHD (HR 4.2; 95% CI, 1.5–12.2,
p=0.008) were associated with risk of developing CVRF cluster. HCT
survivors had an increased prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL, but
not glucose intolerance, elevated blood pressure, or CVRF cluster, when compared
to a random sample of matched population controls. Given the young age of this HCT survivor cohort, these data
highlight the importance of routine screening for CVRF starting in childhood
among those exposed to TBI.