Late effects of childhood cancer

Abstract

The treatment of childhood cancer has become increasingly successful over the last forty years, and during the last two decades in particular, and the overall cure rate is now 60-70%. This, in turn, has introduced new issues for the clinician as the number of long-term survivors has increased. Some of the therapies that have contributed most to the improvement in survival are now known to have serious consequences for the patient in later life, and many survivors will be affected by physical, educational and psychological disability to a lesser or greater degree. This definitive reference brings together all aspects of long-term effects of treatment for cancer during childhood in a single comprehensive volume. International in perspective, the book is structured according to complication rather than original site of malignancy for ease of reference. Topics covered include problems in the neurological system and special senses of sight and sound, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urological and musculoskeletal complications, effects on the endocrine system and, in particular, future fertility, and secondary cancers. The book also reviews in detail the important issues of quality of life, prevention initiatives and strategies for long-term follow up. Key point summaries are included throughout, and the references are annotated to guide the reader quickly to seminal primary papers and key review articles. With an accessible and consistent approach throughout, Late Effects of Childhood Cancer is an invaluable source of information and guidance for pediatric oncologists, who need to keep fully informed in order to advise patients and their parents appropriately, and also for pediatric and adult endocrinologists, adult oncologists and other physicians to whom the patient with late effects may initially present.