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For Cancer Center Patients

Survivorship:
Pediatric Oncology (Cancer) Survivorship Program

The Next Phase of Care

The Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Program's mission is to provide excellent clinical care to patients while fostering research that will lead to further advances in care for cancer survivors.
Your primary oncologist or nurse practitioner is the best source of information about the Pediatric Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic. They will help you determine when the time is right for your or your child's first survivorship visit.

The program provides access to:

  • nutrition services
  • PsychOncology Clinic
  • Symptom Management and Palliative Care Clinic
  • the Patient Education Resource Center
  • Complementary Therapies

The Clinic

The Pediatric Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic opened in 1999 to meet the needs of individuals diagnosed with a malignancy in childhood or adolescence. Because of the wide-ranging impact of cancer treatment, the clinic focuses on the patient's total well-being. Survivorship concerns may include:
  • changes in growth and development
  • impaired fertility, organ dysfunction
  • neurocognitive problems
  • school issues

Our goal is to help patients and families learn about health concerns that may follow treatment and strategies to manage these issues. Patients are referred to the clinic two years after the completion of treatment. Every patient receives a comprehensive treatment summary along with a plan developed in collaboration with members of the clinic's multidisciplinary team. Patients return to their primary oncology team for continued follow-up through their fourth year after treatment. After patients have been off treatment for five years, they will transition to the Pediatric Long-Term Follow-Up team for annual visits. The Pediatric Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic follows patients until they are between the ages of 18 and 21 or 10 years post treatment, whichever occurs last.

Make an Appointment

Your primary oncologist or nurse practitioner is the best source of information about the Pediatric Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic. They will help you determine when the time is right for your or your child's first survivorship visit.

To schedule an appointment, call 734-936-9814.

A Typical Visit

During the initial visit, the patient and family meet with all members of the Pediatric Long- Term Follow-Up Clinic's team of childhood cancer survivorship specialists. The team includes a nurse practitioner, social worker, pediatric psychologist and dietitian. All team members have extensive education and training in the care of childhood cancer survivors. Patients may also see a pediatric oncologist or pediatric neuro-oncologist if needed.

Our goal is to help childhood cancer survivors remain healthy after active treatment is completed. In addition to a comprehensive physical exam to ensure that the cancer hasn't recurred, the Pediatric Long-Term Follow-Up visit includes:

  • Review of cancer treatment, including a personalized cancer treatment history
  • Monitoring for late occurring side effects of cancer and/or cancer treatments
  • Individualized health care plan based on past treatment
  • Psycho-social/educational assessment
  • Diet and exercise recommendations
  • Laboratory blood testing (as needed)
  • Periodic testing of vital organs (as needed)
  • Referral to sub-specialties (as needed)
  • Assistance with transition to adult health care

Please check with your child's (or your) primary oncologist or nurse practitioner to help determine when the time is right for a referral to this program.

See also

To assist with information-gathering related to issues/topics/questions involving pediatric cancer survivorship, we've put together a Pediatric Cancer Survivorship Information Guide. This page provides links to websites, publications and newsletters providing information and/or support to pediatric cancer survivors.

Still have questions?

Contact the Cancer AnswerLine™ 800-865-1125 for answers.

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Speak with a Cancer nurse: 1-800-865-1125