Follow-up healthcare critical for childhood cancer survivors

MELBOURNE - Australian researchers have said that follow-up healthcare is important for survivors of childhood cancer as they are at a higher risk of further cancer or early death.

The researchers reviewed cases of as many as 900 young cancer survivors treated at Sydney Children’s Hospital, from 1972 to 1999, alongside new cancer cases and early deaths, reports the Age

They found that survivors had an almost five-fold increased rate of developing a new cancer compared with the overall NSW population and were 7 and a half times more likely to die early.

Lesley Ashton of the Children’s Cancer Institute said two-thirds of survivors are prone to developing a related chronic health condition linked to earlier radiation-based treatments. (ANI)