Rehabilitation of children with cancer

The majority of children with cancer can now be successfully treated with eradication of their disease of they receive the best therapy available in experienced cancer treatment centers. This has become possible due to five major factors: 1) the availability of new antitumor drugs, 2) the utilization of new therapeutic techniques, 3) improved supportive therapy, 4) the development of the cooperative, coordinated team approach, and 5) the philosophy of the therapeutic approach. With this increasing success, the long-term physical and emotional rehabilitation of the child with cancer becomes of great importance. The goal is a return of the child and his family to as normal in lifestyle as possible as quickly as possible. The achievement of this involves an aggressive and positive approach to the overall treatment plan, with involvement of all of the members of the treatment-rehabilitation team, including the patient and his family.