[Late sequelae of leukemia in childhood: psychosocial aspects]

As more children are now being cured of cancer, the physical and psychosocial consequences of cancer and its treatment become increasingly important issues for the pediatric cancer survivor. Information is accumulating on the sequelae of childhood cancer, especially on the medical side-effects of cancer treatment. Although considerably less information is available on the psychosocial adaptation of the long-term survivor, existing studies reveal that cancer survivors are at risk of developing adjustment problems. Until now no study has addressed the psychosocial functioning of the family of the long-term survivor. Preliminary results of our recent pilot study on this issue indicate that parents as well as siblings can experience ongoing problems in coping with the cancer experience.