Childhood cancer survivors living longer but not always better

Despite three decades of advancements in treating children with cancer, patients who survive into adulthood don't report better physical or mental health than their counterparts who were treated years ago, researchers report.
Adults treated as children in the 1990s were more likely to report poor general health and anxiety than adults treated as children in the 1970s, the researchers said.
That's not what the researchers had expected to find. After all, patients are living longer today than in past generations. More than 80 percent of children diagnosed with cancer are alive at least five years after their diagnosis, the U.S. National Cancer Institute says.
And there have been significant efforts to minimize the toxic side effects of cancer treatments. Proton therapy limits radiation damage to healthy tissue, while limb-sparing surgery has largely replaced amputation, noted Kirsten Ness, a physical therapist and one of the study authors.
"I kept looking at the data, thinking, 'This can't be right,' " said Ness, a faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. 
"We were sort of expecting that they wouldn't have as many problems with their perceived health as survivors who were treated in earlier generations," she said.
Pam Gabris is coordinator for Beyond the Cure, a program of the National Children's Cancer Society (NCCS) in St. Louis. Beyond the Cure prepares survivors and their families for life after cancer.
While the study results are "disappointing," survivors' awareness of potential complications, or "late effects," of cancer treatment is improving, according to Gabris, a registered nurse.  "Now we have to provide the tools they need to manage their health," she said.
NCCS, for example, offers an online tool that allows survivors to plug in information about their cancer and view specific information on potential late effects they may experience, symptoms, prevention tips and recommendations for follow-up care. 
    HealthDay

Childhood cancer survivors living longer but not always better

Despite three decades of advancements in treating children with cancer, patients who survive into adulthood dont report better physical or mental health than their counterparts who were treated years ago, researchers report. Adults treated as children in the 1990s were more likely to report poor general health and anxiety than adults treated as children in the 1970s, the researchers said. Thats not what the researchers had expected to find. After all, patients are living longer today than in past generations. More than 80 percent of children diagnosed with cancer are alive at least five years after their diagnosis, the U.S. National Cancer Institute says. And there have been significant efforts to minimize the toxic side effects of cancer treatments. Proton therapy limits radiation damage to healthy tissue, while limb-sparing surgery has largely replaced amputation, noted Kirsten Ness, a physical therapist and one of the study authors. I kept looking at the data, thinking, This cant be right, said Ness, a faculty member in the Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. We were sort of expecting that they wouldnt have as many problems with their perceived health as survivors who were treated in earlier generations, she said. Pam Gabris is coordinator for Beyond the Cure, a program of the National Childrens Cancer Society (NCCS) in St. Louis. Beyond the Cure prepares survivors and their families for life after cancer. While the study results are disappointing, survivors awareness of potential complications, or late effects, of cancer treatment is improving, according to Gabris, a registered nurse. Now we have to provide the tools they need to manage their health, she said. NCCS, for example, offers an online tool that allows survivors to plug in information about their cancer and view specific information on potential late effects they may experience, symptoms, prevention tips and recommendations for follow-up care. HealthDay