A recent study found out that children successfully treated for cancer are at higher risk to develop gastrointestinal problems, ranging from mild to severe cases, in the future.

The study, which was conducted by the University of California researchers in San Francisco, examined the gastrointestinal problems reported by 14,358 patients who lived at least after receiving treatment for different forms of cancer such as leukemia, lymphoma, and bone or brain tumors.

Researchers found out that more than 40 percent suffered from some type of gastrointestinal problem within twenty years of their therapy. These GI issues include indigestion, ulcers, polyps, esophageal disease, colitis, jaundice, chronic diarrhea and gallstones.

Also, people who were diagnosed with cancer later in life and had to go through a more comprehensive treatment, such as radiation, surgery and chemotherapy, were more likely to suffer from long-term gastrointestinal problems, according to the study published in the Gastroenterology, May issue.

The authors of the study noted in a news release that around one in every 500 young adult in the United States is a childhood cancer survivor.

Dr. Robert Goldsby, lead author of the study and pediatric cancer specialist, said that thorough follow-up care should also be provided to pediatric cancer patients to properly address the complications that those children may experience.

He said that physicians should not only focus on the knowledge gathered about the long-term effects of childhood cancer and its treatment. He even added that complications after the therapy are serious concerns that can greatly affect a person’s quality of life.