Since the late 1960s, the survival rate in children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer has steadily improved, with a corresponding decline in the cancer-specific death rate. Although the improvements in survival are encouraging, they have come at the cost of acute, chronic, and late adverse effects precipitated by the toxicities associated with the individual or combined use of different types of treatment (e.g., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy). In some cases, the impairments resulting from cancer and its treatment are severe enough to qualify a child for U.S. Social Security Administration disability benefits. At the request of Social Security Administration, Childhood Cancer and Functional Impacts Across the Care Continuum provides current information and findings and conclusions regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of selected childhood cancers, including different types of malignant solid tumors, and the effect of those cancers on childrenâ (TM)s health and functional capacity, including the relative levels of functional limitation typically associated with the cancers and their treatment. This report also provides a summary of selected treatments currently being studied in clinical trials and identifies any limitations on the availability of these treatments, such as whether treatments are available only in certain geographic areas.

Childhood cancers vary by type of histology, site of disease origin, race, gender, and age. To explain this spectrum of different malignancies, the monograph details incidence, mortality, survival, and demographic trends for individual primary sites and histologic groupings in 11 separate chapters. Additional chapters are dedicated to infants, adolescents ages 15 to 19 years, and mortality rates. Overall trends combining all cancer sites are included. [Ed.].

This is the first comprehensive book devoted exclusively to cancer in adolescents and young adults. It compiles medical, epidemiological, biological, psychological, and emotional issues of young adults’ oncology. The emphasis is on the differences of the "same" cancer in younger and older patients. Model programs specially designed to care for patients in the age group and surveillance of long-term adverse effects are reviewed.

Cancer is the second commonest cause of death, after accidents, among children in developed countries, while in developing countries, improvements in the control of communicable diseases and the occurrence of premature delivery may lead to the emergence of cancer in children as a greater public health problem than in the past. The rationale for considering childhood cancers separately from cancers in adults in that there are differences in the sites of occurrence, in the histological appearance and in their clinical behavior. This book reviews the epidemiology of specific types of childhood cancer to mid-1997. The scale of the problem is first reviewed in a major compilation of data on the descriptive epidemiology of childhood cancer, then separate chapters describe studies of the different postulated causal factors and summarize what can be concluded from them.

Cancer is diagnosed in about 140 per million children in Britain each year. There is a 1 in 500 chance that a child will be affected in the first 15 years of life, the most frequently occurring types of cancer being leukaemia and brain tumours. This book covers the descriptive epidemiology of childhood cancer in Britain, based on the unique work of the National Registry of Childhood Tumours, the largest population-based specialist childhood cancer registry in the world. The book provides a detailed account of national incidence and survival rates for childhood cancer in Britain during 1991-2000, and trends during 1966-2000. There is also an account of childhood mortality for the period 1965-2004. The diagnoses are classified throughout according to the International Classification of Childhood Cancer, the first time the third edition of this standard classification has been used for prevalence of incidence, survival and mortality data. The chapter on incidence rates is relevant to planning of health service provision and design of research studies on aetiology, whilst the chapter on trends in incidence is relevant to the possible effects of changes in environmental and other risk factors. In addition to comprehensive tables of rates, age-incidence graphs are provided for all the major types of childhood cancer, and possible artefacts are also discussed. The survival data demonstrates how clinical progress over the past 40 years has led to a major increase in the number of cancer survivors. The role of the Registry, covering history, methodology, current and future uses, is also discussed. This definitive work is the culmination of decades of epidemiological research and is essential reading for anyone involved in paediatric oncology or cancer epidemiology.

Get a quick, expert overview of the many key facets of pediatric cancer genetics with this concise, practical resource by Dr. Nathaniel H. Robin and Meagan Farmer, MS, CGC, MBA. Ideal for pediatric oncologists and all providers who care for children, this easy-to-read reference addresses the remarkable potential of genetic testing as well as the complexities of choosing the correct test, understanding the results, and counseling the family. - Features a wealth of information on pediatric cancer genetics, including the epidemiology and biology of cancer and the genetic evaluation process and role of genetic counsellors - Highlights examples of syndromes that present in childhood and increase susceptibility to cancer - Discusses the genetic evaluation process in context of the multidisciplinary care of children with cancer - Considers the ethical and legal issues of genetic testing in children and provides illustrative case examples - Consolidates today's available information and guidance in this timely area into one convenient resource - Features a wealth of information on pediatric cancer genetics, including the epidemiology and biology of cancer and the genetic evaluation process and role of genetic counselors. - Highlights examples of syndromes that present in childhood and increase susceptibility to cancer. - Discusses the genetic evaluation process in context of the multidisciplinary care of children with cancer. - Considers the ethical and legal issues of genetic testing in children and provides illustrative case examples. - Consolidates today's available information and guidance in this timely area into one convenient resource.

Providing a comprehensive review of the multiple disciplines that make up the care and research agendas for children with cancer, this thoroughly updated edition provides state-of-the-art information on the molecular genetics and biology of cancer as well as new approaches to diagnosis and management.