Survivors – the need for continued research

By Jonathon Fish, MD

Over 80% of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured, joining the growing population of long-term childhood cancer survivors.

As survivors age, they experience health problems years or decades earlier than their peers.

In addition to the risks to physical health, many survivors experience depression and anxiety, with some meeting criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder.

As researchers have learned more about the late effects of cancer treatment, this has had an impact on how doctors treat children newly diagnosed with cancer.

More time is being dedicated to survivorship care.

Permission to reprint this information was granted by the
St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
For more details of Dr Fish’s work visit
https://www.stbaldricks.org/blog/category/facts
Dr. Fish is a St. Baldrick’s Scholar at
Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York.
His research focuses on improving the health of childhood cancer survivors.