Long-Term Prospective Follow-Up Study of Cardiac Function After Cardiotoxic Therapy for Malignancy in Children

39 survivors of childhood malignancy (children and adolescents), mean time from diagnosis 8.6 years. Group I (n=30): no cardiac irradiation, median cumulative anthracycline dose 210 mg/m2; Group II (n=9): irradiation in the cardiac region, median cumulative anthracycline dose 180 mg/m2.

Cardiotoxic therapy for childhood malignancy (anthracyclines with or without cardiac irradiation)

Matched control children

Cardiac function evaluated by conventional and three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and measurement of natriuretic peptidessurrogate