Trump’s Call For Pediatric Cancer Funding: What Will Happen to Grace?

While Grace’s extraordinary story of survival and remission should be celebrated, less attention will be devoted to what may happen to her as time goes on. The so-called “long-effects” of pediatric cancer can impact patients’ health decades after treatment eradicates the disease. Radiation and chemotherapy, such as the kind Eline received, is known to cause side effects in any patients body. However, since their cells are rapidly growing and dividing, children such as Grace are particularly vulnerable to experiencing the toxic long term effects of these treatments, which may not appear until years after the cancer disappears.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 60-90% of children who survive pediatric cancer suffer devastating late effects during their adulthood.

For one, pediatric cancer survivors will experience long term side effects around the specific site of their cancer. In Eline’s case of brain cancer, she is at risk of experiencing learning disabilities and cognitive impairments, as well as having frequent seizures and headaches. Treatment for brain cancer can also adversely affect the pituitary gland, which sits at the base of the brain and is responsible for regulating hormones in the body. According to the American Cancer Society, pituitary problems caused by brain cancer treatment can lead to fatigue and cold intolerance, as well as issues with sexual development and delayed growth.

This does not even begin to underscore the long term emotional impact cancer treatment can have on a child as they grow older. Cancer.net cites depression about their previous disease, fear of recurrence, and avoidance of health care settings as just a few long term emotional problems that can result from pediatric cancer. One study estimates that 15% of adult survivors of pediatric cancer treatment experience some form of emotional distress related to their initial diagnosis.

New Research and Recommendations into Long Effects

In order to properly manage these long term effects following childhood treatment, the ACS recommends that pediatric patients and their families keep a record of their disease treatment, a list of any therapies or drugs used, as well as any scans or imaging conducting.

To increase awareness of late effects and improve follow-up care of childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives, the Children's Oncology Group (COG) has developed long-term follow-up guidelines for survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancers. These guidelines can help you know what to look out for and what regular screenings should be conducted to manage you or your child’s health as time goes on. To learn more, ask your doctors about the COG survivor guidelines or find them here.

We’ve Come A Long Way

Amid all these concerns about the long term affects Eline may face, one important statistic should not be forgotten. Forty years ago Eline and other childhood cancer patients had only a 10% chance of survival. Eline’s journey underscores the remarkable progress that has been made in pediatric cancer treatment. Today, those chances are over 90%. President Trump’s promise to increase funding for pediatric cancer treatment, coupled with former President Obama’s Cancer Moonshot initiative should be met with optimism. Like Grace Eline’s smile when she was introduced to the audience and the nation last night, the future for pediatric cancer research is bright.

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