Pediatrics & Therapeutics
Open Access

Defining the risk factors of cardio-metabolic risk in survivors of childhood brain tumors

International Conference and Exhibition on Pediatric Oncology and Clinical Pediatrics

August 11-13, 2016 Toronto, Canada

M Constantine Samaan

McMaster University, Canada

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Pediat Therapeut

Abstract :

More than 5,000 children are diagnosed annually with brain tumors in North America. Despite significant breakthroughs in tumor biology and in therapy, survivors of childhood brain tumors (SCBT) have significant comorbidities that shorten their lifespan and affect their quality of life. Survivors of childhood cancer are at risk of cardiovascular and diabetes, but this is less well studied in brain tumor survivors. The Canadian Study of the Determinants of Endometabolic health in Children (CanDECIDE) was designed to investigate the risk factors of cardiometabolic disorders in SCBT and compare them to a noncaner control group. In recent analyses, female SCBT were found to have enhanced visceral adiposity compared to controls. The presence of a major cardiometabolic risk factor within few years post surviving a brain tumor is an important determinant of long-term outcomes in SCBT. We discuss the implications of these findings, potential explanations and future directions.

Biography :

M Constantine Samaan is a Pediatric Endocrinologist at McMaster Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor at the Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University. His program of research is in Translational Immunometabolism, with specific focus on childhood obesity and diabetes. This program is focused on defining the determinants of immune-metabolic crosstalk in high-risk pediatric populations and to design interventions to manage obesity and diabetes.

Email: samaanc@mcmaster.ca