The hidden toll of long-term cancer survival

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center's Alique Topalian spoke with Medscape about her personal experiences of chronic health conditions as a cancer survivor and her research on the benefits of oncology primary care for young survivors.

Topalian was first diagnosed and treated for acute myeloid leukemia at age 4, and has experienced immunoglobulin deficiency that made it harder to fight infections, learning disabilities, high blood pressure and fainting spells over the years. Most recently, she constantly has a fever of 100.4 that her care team has no explanation for.

Topalian's experiences highlight the myriad late and long-term side effects for childhood cancer survivors and the unintended consequence of accelerated aging in this population. She now works to improve care for survivors and presented research at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting that highlights the importance of specialized care for survivors long after treatment.

The research found approximately 10% of patients seen in the Cancer Center’s oncology primary care clinic were diagnosed as having adolescent and young adult cancers. Among these patients, 14% were diagnosed with a second primary malignancy and 60% had a cardiovascular disease such as hypertension. Neurologic, endocrine and psychological comorbidities were also common. 

“When we’re living decades posttreatment, we need providers who know how to handle [what] might happen. A lot of us don’t even know what might happen,” Topalian, PhD, research scientist in the Department of Family and Community Medicine’s Division of Survivorship and Supportive Services in UC’s College of Medicine, told Medscape. “How can we take care of people for their entire lifetime after treatment because cancer doesn’t just stop when treatment ends?”

Read the Medscape article.

Topalian also spoke with MedicalResearch.com about her ASCO research. Read the interview.

Featured photo at top of Alique Topalian. Photo provided.