For pediatric cancer patients, beating cancer is just the beginning of a lifelong journey. While up to a quarter of childhood cancer survivors will see no long-term side-effects of cancer and cancer treatment, many will.
Cancer treatment takes a toll on the body. We see this most clearly in adult survivors of childhood cancer.A multitude of factors can impact which late effects and conditions arise in survivors, including age at diagnosis, sex, genetic factors, type of cancer, and types of treatment. Surgeries, chemo and radiation therapy, as well as stem-cell transplants, may carry the risk of late effects.
These effects may show up within months or years of completed treatment.
Both body and mind can be impacted by these late effects, including but not limited to:
- Growth and development
- Mood and memory
- Thinking and learning
- Organ function
- Social and psychological adjustment
- Secondary cancer risks
For survivors and their families, these risks can be scary. However, there are steps that childhood cancer survivors can take now and in the future to prevent and identify potentially harmful late effects.
How to Identify and Reduce the Late Effects of Cancer
Prioritize Health & Nutrition
So much of maintaining good health as a cancer survivor is taking good care of your body. These bodies have been through a lot, and they deserve the very best!
For younger survivors, parents can help by instilling them with healthy eating habits and encouraging regular exercise. When you set a foundation of health and wellness from the beginning, your child is more likely to continue those habits on into adulthood.
Certain coping behaviors, too, are damaging to one’s long-term health, like smoking, drug use, and excessive alcohol intake. As soon as you are able, teach your children healthy coping mechanisms so that they are less likely to turn to bad habits for relief.
Health isn’t limited to exercise and nutrition.
Because cancer survivors may struggle mentally and emotionally, it is important to encourage counseling. This can help children and adults alike navigate and process their feelings and experiences in helpful ways — as well as identify any potential mental health issues.
Regular Doctor Visits
Cancer survivors must go to the doctor more often than the average person, largely for prevention and evaluation. This isn’t just important for identifying recurring or secondary cancers. Regularly going to the dentist, eye doctor, and general practitioner (as well as any necessary specialists) can help survivors receive a diagnosis and treatment plan for any potentially disruptive or dangerous late effects.
For the cancer survivor, seeming or feeling healthy are not reasons to avoid a regular checkup.
Regularly seeing doctors for routine appointments can also help ease ongoing health anxieties, which are typical after a traumatic diagnosis, such as cancer. Early detection is key to survivorship, so regular cancer screenings are essential.
An Attentive Support Network
As valuable as healthy habits and skilled doctors are, cancer survivors benefit enormously from a strong support network. Friends, parents, spiritual leaders, and other family members can help create a sense of support, togetherness, and love that is key to a survivor’s quality of life.
After cancer treatment has ended, survivors may struggle to connect with others who do not have this same shared experience. Sometimes connecting with other survivors can allow for frank, open conversations about survivor struggles and experiences.
A great support network not only supports the survivor socially but physically, too. This includes being aware of any changes you notice in their health or behavior that may need addressing. You are the first line of defense — and support — for a survivor experiencing late effects.
This journey doesn’t end when kids are declared cancer-free. Our support must be lifelong!
Be the Go-Between
For the parents of a child with cancer, bearing the burden of constantly relaying information to friends and family can take its toll. Answering questions all the time, over and over again, repeating the same news can even be traumatic, particularly when we’re talking about cancer.
If you are close enough with the family, offer to be a messenger for them. Obviously, you will want to clarify how they want questions answered and who they want to be included in updates. When you take up the role of liaison, however, you allow the parents to only have to tell one person news — you — which you can then relay for them.
More children than ever survive childhood cancer. Each year, progress is being made in the treatment and care of pediatric cancer patients. Truly successful care and treatment, however, includes diligence and deep care for ongoing survivor health and quality of life.
Parents, be aware of the late effects that may develop as a result of your child’s diagnosis and treatment methods.
When we know what to expect for childhood cancer patients now and in the future, we are better equipped to support survivors in their lifelong journey — and help kids with cancer flourish!