[Survival in adolescents and young adults with cancer in childhood]

Abstract

A group of 104 long-term survivors of childhood cancer have been studied at the Oncology Unit of the Children's Hospital of Buenos Aires. The tumors were diagnosed and treated between 1965 and 1986 and evaluated until December 1999. The diagnosis were: retinoblastoma: 24, nephroblastoma: 19, Hodgkin's disease: 14, sarcoma: 12, neuroblastoma: 11, non-Hodgkin-lymphoma: 11, Langerhans cell histiocytosis: 5 (multifocal bone lesions: 4, Hand-Schüller-Christian disease: 1), gonadal germ-cell tumors: 4, osteosarcoma: 2, Ewing sarcoma: 2. The treatment consisted of: surgery + chemotherapy + radiotherapy: 52, chemotherapy + radiotherapy: 18, surgery + chemotherapy: 13, surgery + radiotherapy: 7 surgery: 7 and chemotherapy: 7. A total of 101 survivors are alive without evidence of cancer between 15 and 44 years of age. Four of them suffered serious late effects threatening their lives: cardiac insufficiency: 2, renal insufficiency: 1 and panhypopituitarism: 1 (this patient died). Out of 5 patients with a second cancer, the follow-up was lost in 2. In 51 survivors education data were available and in 27 their laboral situation. Nine young women were mothers and five young men were fathers. It is concluded that a constant follow-up and evaluation of these patients is necessary in order to give them the opportunity of therapeutic solutions and psychosocial rehabilitations.