Blood pressure and body mass index in long-term survivors of testicular cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) in long-term survivors of testicular cancer (TC) treated with different modalities.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

One thousand eight hundred fourteen patients treated for unilateral TC in Norway (1980 to 1994) were invited to participate in a follow-up study (1998 to 2002), including measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and BMI. Of these patients, 1,289 patients (71%) participated in the study. The patients were categorized into four treatment groups: surgery (n = 242), radiotherapy (n = 547), and two chemotherapy groups, cumulative cisplatin dose < or = 850 mg (n = 402) and cumulative cisplatin dose more than 850 mg (n = 98). A control group consisted of healthy males from the Tromsø Population Study (n = 2,847).

RESULTS

At diagnosis, age-adjusted regression analyses showed no differences between the treatment groups for any variables. After a median follow-up time of 11.2 years, age-adjusted SBP and DBP were significantly higher for both chemotherapy groups compared with the surgery group. Chemotherapy-treated patients had increased odds for hypertension at follow-up compared with the surgery group, and the odds were highest for the cisplatin more than 850 mg group (odds ratio = 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4 to 4.0). The cisplatin more than 850 mg group had a significantly higher 10-year BMI increase and a higher prevalence of obesity at follow-up than the surgery group. Compared with healthy controls, chemotherapy-treated patients had, at follow-up, increased SBP, increased DBP, excessive BMI increase, and a higher prevalence of hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Five to 20 years after therapy, cured TC patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy had significantly higher levels of blood pressure, a higher prevalence of hypertension, and an excessive weight gain compared with patients treated with other modalities and compared with healthy controls.