Endocrine Late Effects: Consequence or Catalyst to Health Disparities in Childhood Cancer Survivors?

Endocrine disorders are among the most prevalent chronic health conditions in childhood cancer survivors (CCS), a population disproportionately affected by early onset frailty and mortality. Health disparities have been shown to impair CCS access to medical care that incorporates risk-based screening. Emerging data on the association between heath disparities and endocrinopathies in CCS have focused primarily on metabolic and reproductive outcomes. Research is needed to further assess the contribution of health disparities to suboptimal endocrine care in CCS, and to determine if suboptimal endocrine management worsens health disparities by contributing to adverse functional, neurocognitive, and psychosocial outcomes.