Endocrine late effects of childhood cancer therapy: a report from the Children's Oncology Group

Abstract

Pediatric oncologists are curing increasing numbers of patients with childhood cancer, and most children diagnosed with a malignancy may now be expected to become long-term survivors. As the number of childhood cancer survivors grows, so too does the need for evidence-based surveillance of the long-term effects of cancer therapy. Long-term effects involving the endocrine system represent a frequent complication of therapy. The Children's Oncology Group Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancers(COG LTFUG), most recently updated in 2006, provide a summary of the known endocrine late effects of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and stem cell transplant. This paper summarizes the scope and nature of the endocrine late effects of childhood cancer therapy based upon a review of the pertinent medical literature, and demonstrates how pediatric oncologists can use these guidelines in clinical practice.