Problems in adults who had cancer treatment as children

People in this category have much longer to develop the long term or enduring side effects of chemo and radiotherapy. The oldest members of this group will have had their treatment in the 1970s and now be in their 30s. What will happen to them as they age is unknown. Some childhood survivors have already developed significant enduring problems because of their treatment, either during treatment or some years later. The number of adults ‘at risk’ in this category is set to rise.

Cancer therapy, in particular chemotherapy made great progress in the 1980s and 1990s and for the first time high rates of cure were achieved in some of the common childhood malignancies such as leukaemia and lymphoma. Over time treatment has been modified to become as effective as possible with as few side effects as possible. Significant long term side effects of treatment given in the past are increasingly being recognised. These side effects generally occur because of changes in normal tissue caused by the treatment, these changes take many years to cause symptoms or become apparent. The medical profession is still in the early days of recognising and researching these disorders.

Over time more members of this group can expect to either develop these problems or have them recognised. A breakdown of problems is provided by treatment. Effects tend to be greater when treatment of cancer began at a young age (under 3) and when large doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy were necessary. Common cancers in children include leukaemia, lymphoma, brain tumours, bone and soft tissue sarcomas.