Childhood cancer survivors may have late effects that affect the liver.
Liver late effects may include the following:
- Hepatic fibrosis (an overgrowth of connective tissue in the liver).
- Liver failure.
- Portal hypertension.
- Hepatitis C infection.
- Permanent liver damage caused by veno-occlusive disease.
Hepatic fibrosis, hepatitis C infection, and veno-occlusive disease can cause long-term problems.
Certain factors increase the risk that liver late effects will occur.
The risk of liver late effects may be increased in childhood cancer survivors who received any of the following:
- A blood transfusion before 1992.
- Radiation therapy together with chemotherapy.
- Chemotherapy with thioguanine to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Risk may also be increased in survivors who had liver disease before treatment or developed veno-occlusive disease during treatment.
Liver late effects may be caused by treatment for certain childhood cancers.
Treatment for these and other childhood cancers may cause liver late effects:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
- Neuroblastoma.
- Wilms tumor.
Digestive tract
Childhood cancer survivors may have late effects that affect the digestive tract.
Digestive tract late effects may include the following:
- Ulcers.
- Bowel perforation (a hole in the intestine).
- Pain in the abdomen.
- Inability of the intestine to absorb nutrients from food.
- A narrowing of the intestine.
- Blocked bowel (chronic).
- Infection.
- Diarrhea (chronic).
These effects may be caused by damage to the blood vessels, which may lead to long-term problems.
Radiation therapy to the abdomen may damage blood vessels and increase the risk of digestive tract late effects.
Digestive tract late effects may be caused by treatment for certain childhood cancers.
Treatment for these and other childhood cancers may cause digestive tract late effects:
- Paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma.
- Wilms tumor.
The Web site of the National Cancer Institute (http://www.cancer.gov)
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