Staying healthy can be a challenge in the years after cancer diagnosis. Thanks to improved therapies, an estimated 8.4 million Americans are cancer survivors.
March 15, 2005 (Press Release) --
Long-term Side Effects of Cancer Treatment
Staying healthy can be a challenge in the years after cancer diagnosis. Thanks to improved therapies, an estimated 8.4 million Americans are cancer survivors. However, because of this success, physicians are only now beginning to grasp the long-term health issues that may result from aggressive cancer treatments. Most of what is known about long-term cancer survivorship is based on data from pediatric cancer patients. There is considerably less information about adult cancer survivors.
As part of the Life After Cancer Care survivorship program, M. D. Anderson has created a Cancer Survivor Survey to determine the type and severity of side effects that cancer survivors have experienced. This information is vital in discovering what the long-term and late effects are and how to manage them, as well as establishing follow-up guidelines.
Each type of cancer treatment has its own side effects. When two or more therapies are used in combination, the possible side effects may be compounded. Some happen during or soon after treatment. Others, however, may take years to occur, particularly for those who had cancer as a child. These are referred to as "late" effects. Not all cancer patients will experience these lingering problems.
M. D. Anderson oncologists recommend regular cancer-specific evaluations for at least 10 years after treatment, and preferably for the rest of one's life.
Staying healthy can be a challenge in the years after cancer diagnosis. Thanks to improved therapies, an estimated 8.4 million Americans are cancer survivors. However, because of this success, physicians are only now beginning to grasp the long-term health issues that may result from aggressive cancer treatments. Most of what is known about long-term cancer survivorship is based on data from pediatric cancer patients. There is considerably less information about adult cancer survivors.
As part of the Life After Cancer Care survivorship program, M. D. Anderson has created a Cancer Survivor Survey to determine the type and severity of side effects that cancer survivors have experienced. This information is vital in discovering what the long-term and late effects are and how to manage them, as well as establishing follow-up guidelines.
Each type of cancer treatment has its own side effects. When two or more therapies are used in combination, the possible side effects may be compounded. Some happen during or soon after treatment. Others, however, may take years to occur, particularly for those who had cancer as a child. These are referred to as "late" effects. Not all cancer patients will experience these lingering problems.
M. D. Anderson oncologists recommend regular cancer-specific evaluations for at least 10 years after treatment, and preferably for the rest of one's life.
Email
Print
SPAM
LEAVE A COMMENT
