Effects of Cancer
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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