In our report from the University of Chicago’s Childhood Cancer Survivor Center, Dr. Tara Henderson talks about the various effects from childhood cancer that can last a lifetime, such as the extremely high rates of breast cancer occurring in women who got chest radiation as kids to cure Hodgkin’s lymphoma. My family always suspected that the aggressive X-ray treatments my teenage cousin got to cure acne on her back led to her breast cancer later.
Childhood Cancer: Effects Last a Lifetime -- Research Summary
BACKGROUND: Each day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer. One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20. Cancer remains the number one disease killer of children; more than genetic anomalies, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS combined.
LIFETIME EFFECTS: In the study of nearly every childhood cancer patient who survived at least 5 years after being treated at Children’s Hospital and the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, 75% developed at least one treatment-related adverse event or condition, and 40% had at least one severe life-threatening or disabling event or condition.
HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA: A cancer of the immune system that is marked by the presence of a type of cell called the Reed-Sternberg cell. Symptoms include the painless enlargement of lymph nodes, spleen, or other immune tissue. When the disease progresses and involves more lymph nodes or other organs, chemotherapy is the preferred treatment. Chemotherapy uses specific drugs in combination to kill tumor cells. The drugs travel through your bloodstream and can reach nearly all areas of your body. A major concern with chemotherapy is the possibility of long-term side effects and complications, such as heart damage, lung damage, liver damage, fertility problems and secondary cancers, such as leukemia. ( Source: Cancer.gov, MayoClinic.)
PROPER SCREENING: Because of the variety of health risks predisposed by cancer and its therapy, it is particularly important for childhood cancer survivors to receive periodic health surveillance. Evaluations should include a thorough history and physical examination, with attention to skin and soft tissues in radiation treatment fields. The general lack of consensus regarding specific health screening has been problematic for clinicians caring for long-term survivors of childhood cancer, particularly when the majority of young adult survivors are apparently healthy. Communication with treating oncologists and late-effects specialists is helpful in organizing an appropriate treatment-directed follow-up plan. (Medscape.com)
Childhood Cancer: Effects Last a Lifetime -- Research Summary | Medical News and Health Information
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Childhood Cancer: Effects Last a Lifetime | Medical News and Health Information
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