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VIDEO: Late health problems becoming less common in childhood cancer survivors
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CHICAGO — Efforts to modify treatments in an attempt to preserve high cure rates while reducing potential late effects have translated to improved health outcomes for childhood cancer survivors, Todd M. Gibson, PhD, assistant member at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, said at the ASCO Annual Meeting.
Gibson and colleagues found that treatment modifications that extended survival for childhood cancer survivors during the past decades also reduced incidence of serious chronic disease in these individuals later in life.
However, Gibson warned this risk has not been eliminated entirely.
“For any individual patient, it is still important for them to be aware of their own specific treatments they received and what the risks are that are associated with those treatments,” he told HemOnc Today. “In a general sense, we expect that fewer childhood cancer survivors will have to deal with these serious chronic conditions, but that risk has not been eliminated. So, individual survivors still need to be aware of and take proactive steps to mitigate their risk for these late effects” – by Kristie L. Kahl
Reference:
Gibson TM, et al. Abstract LBA10500. Presented at: ASCO Annual Meeting; June 2-6, 2017; Chicago.
Disclosure: The NIH funded this study. Gibson reports no relevant financial disclosures. Other researchers report research funding from Merck; honoraria and travel accommodations or expenses from Sandoz; and consultant/advisory roles with Coleman Supportive Oncology Initiative for Children with Cancer, Oncology Research Information Exchange Network, Pfizer and Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology.