Is there a role for a specialized follow-up clinic for survivors of pediatric cancer?

Abstract

Due to advances in chemotherapy and supportive care, greater than 70% of patients with childhood cancer will survive 5 years. However, there are long-term physiological and psychological sequelae of these treatments that may not manifest until pediatric survivors are into adulthood. Various studies done in the long-term pediatric survivors have noted that they are at increased risk for poor health and for chronic health problems. One complicating factor in treating these patients for their health problems is that many childhood cancer survivors are unaware of their past medical history and what their past cancer treatment entailed. There are also a number of barriers to medical care in survivors of childhood cancer which include inadequate insurance coverage for many and lack of knowledge of long-term effects physicians. As pediatric cancer survivors age they usually transition to community physicians. This paper proposes different models for follow-up clinics for survivors of pediatric cancers so childhood cancer survivors are not be subjected to cost ineffective or excessive evaluations but rather medical screening tests that are risk and guidelines that are set forth by experts.