Cancer Cures on Young Impact on Adult Health
SUCCESS treating young victims of cancer could be storing up problems for the future due to uncertainties over the long-term impact of therapy, experts have warned.
More than three-quarters of children with cancer now survive into adulthood but one study from north America has found that 30 years after diagnosis, 42 per cent are affected by other severe illnesses or have died.
Craig Nichols, a specialist at the Providence Cancer Center in Oregon, told an international conference run by the Teenage Cancer Trust in London that patients with some cancers now had great expectations of a cure but faced a “double whammy” over the burden of disease and of treatment.
“We are returning an extra 50-60 years of life to teenagers and young adults who have been treated successfully for cancer.
“This shifts the emphasis from ‘Can we cure this disease?’ to ‘Can we retain this near perfect cure rate as well as reducing the short and long-term side effects of treatment…’”
Problems for cancer survivors include an increased risk of a second cancer, infertility, high blood pressure, kidney problems and hormonal disorders.
He added: “There’s a higher incidence of lower performance in life generally among cancer survivors. They have undergone a big life disruption at a formative time in their lives. There needs to be recognition of this so that we can try to identify problems and risks early on.”
Artist Dan Savage, 25, of York, was diagnosed with testicular cancer five years ago. He said surviving the disease gave him the spur to make the most of his life and take more adventurous decisions – including getting married.
“Having cancer, for me, was one of the best things to happen,” he said. “It gave me a real drive to succeed.”
But as he approaches the end of his fifth year in remission, when he will be signed off as “cured”, he is worried he will now have no regular checks.
“People say I’m cured but I don’t see it like that. Something could crop up. I would prefer to keep the checks going for longer.”
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