treatments
Cancer is not always over when the treatments stop. For many
childhood cancer survivors the impact of cancer lives on in
physical, cognitive or emotional side effects their entire
lives. A vital part of cancer research and care thus
involves developing new treatments that cause less short-
and long-term effects in growing children.
Cancer treatments are harsh and the side effects of cancer
treatment may be experienced immediately or for years to
come. Modern medicine is finding new ways to manage some of
the immediate effects of treatment. Some new medical
advances include:
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anti-emetic drugs help reduce nausea and vomiting |
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Local anaesthetics such as topical creams, rather
than needles, are less invasive and help reduce the pain of
tests and procedures |
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Anti-anxiety medications and sedatives
help ease the anticipatory anxiety and pain experienced with
painful procedures such as bone marrow aspirations and
spinal taps |
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The use of central lines and port-a-caths reduce the number of needle punctures a young patient must endure for blood sampling and intravenous treatment |
The severity of chemotherapy and radiation side effects
varies from person to person and depends on the intensity
and duration of the treatment. Talk to your oncologist to
discuss treatment options and their side effects for your
child. |
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