Childhood Cancer

More than 325,000 children, teens, and adults in the United States are survivors of childhood cancer. The surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and stem cell transplants used to cure children can affect growing bodies and developing minds. If survivors know of these potential problems, they can take steps to identify, cope with, or treat them early if they do develop. The third edition of Childhood Cancer Survivors charts the territory for survivors by providing state-of-the-art information about: " Medical late effects from treatment " Emotional aspects of surviving cancer " Schedules for follow-up care " Challenges in the heath-care system " Lifestyle choices to maximize health " Discrimination in employment or insurance Woven throughout the text are stories from more than 100 survivors and parents. Authors Keene, Hobbie, and Ruccione are experts in the field of childhood cancer. Keene is the mother of a survivor of childhood leukemia and the author of several books including Childhood Leukemia, Childhood Cancer, Educating the Child with Cancer, and Chemo, Craziness & Comfort. Hobbie is Associate Director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Ruccione is Co-Director of the HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Psychosocial and Education) Program in the Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Clinicians and scientists at the world-famous St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have compiled the most comprehensive and compassionate family reference on childhood cancer--one that covers everything from tests and treatment options to coping with emotions and the life hereafter. Illustrations throughout.

This volume elaborates on the research and clinical implications of the hereditary and molecular basis of childhood cancers. The focus of the ‘disease-related’ chapters of the book is to integrate what is known about the molecular basis of that particular clinical entity (or group of related entities) with the clinical manifestations, to relate the relationship of the molecular oncologic pathways with relevant developmental or non-human species biology in order to better understand the complexity of these systems. The resulting clinical implications of understanding this biology are elaborated on. Chapters 13-16 discuss the broader psychosocial, ethical and genetic counseling issues that arise and that are so critical to translating the knowledge gained from advances in molecular genetics into the clinic. Chapter 12 in particular provides a unique perspective of the application of this knowledge in less-developed nations where ‘modern’ technologies may not be readily available, but where the clinical manifestations of these disorders are prevalent.

Each chapter will focus on the known molecular characteristics of specific childhood cancers, focusing on how the molecular ‘drivers’ can be exploited from a therapeutic standpoint with currently available targeted agents. Where applicable, integration of targeted therapies with conventional cytotoxic agents will be considered. This volume will provide a comprehensive summary of molecular characteristics of childhood cancers, and how the changes involved in transformation provide us with opportunities for developing relatively less toxic, but curative, therapies.

Like a natural disaster, the diagnosis that your child has cancer can leave you and your family feeling helpless. How do you explain the disease to the child and to his or her siblings? How can you communicate your child's needs to the hospital staff? What are the best ways to reduce the physical side effects and the emotional distress of treatment?How will you, your child or teenager, and the rest of your family cope with cancer, and what can you do to help? When and where do you find good psychological help for your child or your family? How do you manage financial and school issues? How can you foster your child's development and self-esteem? More than 12,000 American children will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and roughly 75% will survive. In addition to excellent medical care, their survival depends on a strong support network, which may include parents, siblings, extended family members, friends and neighbors, classmates and teachers. In this down-to-earth guidebook, the authors draw on their own family's experience with cancer as well as their professional expertise and stories from others to help families address the psychological impact of cancer. The result is a book filled with sound emotional guidance, useful information, and practical advice for families coping with cancer.

Since the late 1960s, the survival rate in children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer has steadily improved, with a corresponding decline in the cancer-specific death rate. Although the improvements in survival are encouraging, they have come at the cost of acute, chronic, and late adverse effects precipitated by the toxicities associated with the individual or combined use of different types of treatment (e.g., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy). In some cases, the impairments resulting from cancer and its treatment are severe enough to qualify a child for U.S. Social Security Administration disability benefits. At the request of Social Security Administration, Childhood Cancer and Functional Impacts Across the Care Continuum provides current information and findings and conclusions regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of selected childhood cancers, including different types of malignant solid tumors, and the effect of those cancers on childrenâ (TM)s health and functional capacity, including the relative levels of functional limitation typically associated with the cancers and their treatment. This report also provides a summary of selected treatments currently being studied in clinical trials and identifies any limitations on the availability of these treatments, such as whether treatments are available only in certain geographic areas.

Cancer is the second commonest cause of death, after accidents, among children in developed countries, while in developing countries, improvements in the control of communicable diseases and the occurrence of premature delivery may lead to the emergence of cancer in children as a greater public health problem than in the past. The rationale for considering childhood cancers separately from cancers in adults in that there are differences in the sites of occurrence, in the histological appearance and in their clinical behavior. This book reviews the epidemiology of specific types of childhood cancer to mid-1997. The scale of the problem is first reviewed in a major compilation of data on the descriptive epidemiology of childhood cancer, then separate chapters describe studies of the different postulated causal factors and summarize what can be concluded from them.

This book was created to help young patients and their families understand about cancer, how it is treated, and ways to manage it. It shares stories and advice from children who have finished their treatments