More children are surviving childhood cancer, but while it definitely sounds good news, it also means one thing: more people may develop chronic conditions later in life.
According to a new research by a team from Chicago's Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, headed by assistant professor Siobhan Phillips, PhD, at least 70% of children who survive cancer may acquire some form of morbidity, ranging from mild to moderate. Around 30% of them, meanwhile, will have a life-threatening or debilitating condition.
They reached this conclusion after they looked into 2 huge studies on cancer, with medical records obtained from various cancer institutes and centers, more than 24 of which were found in the United States, between the years of 1975 to 2011. They eventually identified more than 388,000 patients. Over 80% of these children with cancer eventually survived for 5 years, the average survival rate to be declared cancer free, or even more. However, majority of them complained about physical pain, depression, and limited range of motion and flexibility. Some developed mental abilities.
These conditions become more severe and prominent as the survivors grow older, but what's even more striking is that around 35% of these people had ages between 20 and 49 years old, which are then considered young.
The challenge therefore is how to understand the conditions that can affect survivors as they age, then how to manage or even prevent them, including a very comprehensive regular follow-up checkup.
The American Cancer Society lists down some of the most common cancers among children, namely, leukemia, Wilms tumor, retinoblastoma, bone cancer such as Erwing sarcoma, brain cancer, rhabdomysarcoma, and lymphoma, both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's. About 30% of all childhood cancers are blood related (leukemic). This is then followed by brain cancer and malignant tumors affecting other parts of the central nervous system at 26%. Bone cancers, meanwhile, account for 3% of childhood cancer cases.
