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Abstract Children successfully treated for cancer are often faced with a unique set of health problems as they age because of the therapies received in childhood. These chronic health problems may limit physical performance, and, in turn, interfere with functional capacity and participation in work, social, and recreational activities. Iron overload is one of these problems which consider a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for patients who require frequent transfusions Iron accumulation in cancer patients receiving transfusions is insidious, typically not monitored, and often goes unrecognized. The most commonly encountered complications of iron overload include endocrinopathies such as thyroid dysfunction, growth hormone deficiency, diabetes, and delayed puberty although the most severe toxicities are heart failure and hepatic insufficiency We completed a prospective, cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of iron overload in previously transfused childhood cancer survivors and prevalence of HFE gene among them. Mutation of HFE gene alter Iron metabolism and may cause iron overload. Survivors recruited from hematology and oncology department at El-Menoufia University attending for long term follow up. The objectives of this study were to determine: To study the prevalence of the two HFE gene mutations in Egyptian cancer survivors children and to evaluate the effect of these two mutations on their iron status and also to evaluate the prevalence of iron overload in previously transfused childhood cancer survivors. |