Developing strategies for long-term follow up of cancer survivors

The anticancer treatment has been increasingly successful over the past three decades. With current treatment, over two-thirds of children with cancer and more than half of adult cancer patients can be expected to survive their disease. As a result, there now exists a rapidly growing population of long-term survivors with increased risk of premature morbidity and mortality-induced by therapy. It has become apparent that these patients often face complex of organ damages and psychosocial problems. The awareness of the possible long-term complications of therapy is important for optimal health care for the current survivors and also for modifying future treatment regimens to avoid therapy that is associated with unacceptable morbidity and mortality. ((Tab. 1, Fig. 1, Ref. 17.).