Original articleFunctional Outcomes and Life Satisfaction in Long-Term Survivors of Pediatric Sarcomas
Section snippets
Methods
There were 108 identified survivors of pediatric sarcoma who had been treated with one of several treatment protocols for sarcoma at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, who participated in this institutional review board approved protocol. Subjects received no remuneration for participating. Eligible subjects provided informed consent to participate in this study. They were in remission were without evidence of cancer recurrence for at least 24 months; and had not received chemotherapy,
Results
We retrieved information that enabled us to contact 80 potential participants. Thirty-two agreed to participate, 19 declined, and 29 did not respond. Review of demographic information about the participants and nonparticipants showed no significant differences between the 2 groups in tumor type, age at diagnosis, location of tumor, presence of metastases, or radiation (table 1).
Discussion
Pediatric cancers affect only 1 in 300 to 350 people less than 20 years of age and the survival rate exceeds 75%.1 The prevalence of cancer survivors 20 to 35 years of age is estimated at 1 in 500, a sizable group. This is a population that survives into early adulthood, but longevity may require management that is directed toward needs other than cancer treatment. These needs should include mitigation of the sequelae of treatment and its effect on cardiac function, limb swelling, strength, and
Conclusions
We believe there is a profile for pediatric sarcoma patients who are most likely to suffer poor functional outcome. The profile includes those with: (1) lower-extremity lesions (including pelvis and trunk), (2) limb edema, and (3) women with loss of ROM and weakness. Age is another risk factor for slow walk time, suggesting fitness should be a lifelong goal.
Women who have weakness and decreased ROM have decreased velocity, making them at greater risk than men for decreased mobility and poor
References (49)
- et al.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in the evaluation of the functional capacity of survivors of childhood cancer
Prog Pediatr Cardiol
(1998) - et al.
Health-related quality of life of adults surviving malignancies in childhood
Eur J Cancer
(1996) - et al.
Decreased isokinetic trunk muscle strength and performance in long-term survivors of childhood malignancies: correlation with hormonal defects
Arch Phys Med Rehabil
(1995) Cancer in older adolescents and young adults: epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, survival, and importance of clinical trials
Med Pediatr Oncol
(2002)- et al.
Health status of adult long-term survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study
JAMA
(2003) Long term survivors of childhood cancer: the late effects of therapy
Oncologist
(1999)- et al.
Late effects of therapy in survivors of Ewing’s sarcoma family tumors
J Pediatr Hematol Oncol
(1997) - et al.
Cancer and cardiac mortality among 15-year survivors of cancer diagnosed during childhood or adolescence
J Clin Oncol
(1999) - et al.
Quality of life in long-term survivors of adult-onset cancers
J Natl Cancer Inst
(1998) - et al.
Quality of life in adult survivors of childhood cancer
Soc Work Health Care
(1999)
Psychological functioning of adolescent and young adult survivors of pediatric malignancy
Med Pediatr Oncol
Psychosocial status of young adult survivors of childhood cancer: a survey
Med Pediatr Oncol
Long-term vocational adjustment of cancer patients diagnosed during adolescence
Cancer
Education, employment, insurance, marital status among 694 survivors of pediatric lower extremity bone tumors: a report from the childhood cancer survivor study
Cancer
Life after cancer in childhood: social adjustment, educational and vocational status of young adult survivors
J Pediatr Hematol Oncol
Impaired muscle strength in female adolescents and young adults surviving leukemia in childhood
Cancer
Soft tissue sarcoma: functional outcome after wide local excision and radiation therapy
Arch Phys Med Rehabil
Predictors of mortality in 224 nonagenarians—the Danish 1905 Cohort Survey
J Am Geriatr Soc
Exercise adherence and 10-year mortality in chronically ill older adults
J Am Geriatr Soc
Relationship of walking to mortality among US adults with diabetes
Arch Intern Med
Postadmission function best predicts acute hospital outcomes after stroke
Am J Phys Med Rehabil
Skeletal muscle strength, as a predictor of all-cause mortality in healthy men
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci
The predictive validity for mortality of the index of mobility-related limitation—results from the EPESE study
Age Ageing
Preserved functionality and increased cardiovascular risk in pediatric sarcoma long term survivors
Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol
Cited by (0)
Supported by the National Institutes of Health (intramural grant).
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.