Pulmonary Function after Treatment for Childhood Cancer. A Report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study (SJLIFE)

RATIONALE: The relationship between treatment-related impairment of pulmonary function in adult survivors of childhood cancer and subsequent physical function has not been studied. OBJECTIVES: In this prospective evaluation of 606 adult survivors of childhood cancer, we sought to determine the risk factors for, as well as the functional impact of, clinically ascertained pulmonary function impairment. METHODS: We measured FEV1, FVC, total lung capacity (TLC), and single-breath diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide corrected for hemoglobin (DlCOcorr), expressing the results as percent predicted and lower limit of normal (LLN) values, and we also assessed functional exercise capacity (6-minute-walk distance). Lung radiation exposure was expressed as the estimated percentage of lung tissue that received at least 10 Gy (V10). Associations…