Best Life: Surviving, thriving after childhood cancer

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Ivanhoe Newswire) - Almost 10,000 children in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

Fifty years ago, just five percent of them would survive five years. Today, that number is 85%. However, the battle against childhood cancer doesn’t end when the treatment is over.

The effects of surgeries, chemo, and radiation can sometimes last a lifetime. These survivors are also at an increased risk for other cancers and diseases later in life.

Now, a movement is on to not only help these children survive into adulthood, but also live a very long and healthy life.

Gertie, Michelle, and Jaynalee—all diagnosed with cancer as kids.

“At first, you cry a lot, like a lot, like, a bucket full, like, two million gallons full,” said Jaynalee Becerril, Childhood Cancer Survivor.

And all three are survivors.

“I think the challenge that we have is that, well over three quarters, or 75%, of all childhood cancer survivors will have a late effect or a problem that was caused by their cancer,” said Douglas Fair, MD, Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist at University of Utah Health/Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital explains.

The number one risk — cardiovascular disease and the risk of secondary cancers is higher.

“Certain chemotherapies will put you at risk for different leukemias. Certain chemotherapies will put you at risk for other carcinomas or adult-type cancers,” said Doctor Fair.

A National Cancer Institute study also found an increased risk of breast cancer after treatment with high-dose chest radiation.

The same with thyroid cancer after neck radiation and brain tumors after radiation treatment to the head.

Pediatric Oncologist Douglas Fair is leading the survivorship clinic that is a new model of care that uses a team to create individualized lifelong care plans.

“On average, less than 25 percent of childhood cancer survivors were getting the necessary screening for those four, very serious, deadly conditions. We have a lot to do here in better serving our childhood cancer survivors in this country,” said Doctor Fair explains.

Doctor Fair’s team also creates a survivorship care plan. They create a document about the patient’s diagnosis, care, and then tailor the care based on the risk of what therapy they received.

Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor and Videographer.

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