Long-term sequelae in survivors of childhood leukemia with Down syndrome: A childhood cancer survivor study report.

Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk of developing acute leukemia and are more prone to acute toxicities. We studied the incidence and severity of chronic health conditions among survivors of childhood leukemia with DS compared with those without DS.

Methods: Chronic health conditions reported by questionnaire were compared between 154 pediatric leukemia survivors with DS and 581 without DS, matched by leukemia, age at diagnosis, race/ethnicity, sex, radiation location and chemotherapy exposure using Cox models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Palliative treatment: redefining interventions to treat suffering near the end of life.

The treatment of suffering is now recognized as an essential component of medical care. By referring to this treatment as "palliative care," however, we diminish its importance. In this essay, we propose a shift in our conception of the treatment of suffering and advocate for the use of a new term: "palliative treatment.

Optimal care for the child with cancer: A summary statement from the SIOP Working Committee on Psychosocial Issues in Pediatric Oncology.

Since its foundation in 1991, the SIOP Working Committee on Psychosocial Issues in Paediatric Oncology1 has developed and published 12 sets of Guidelines for health-care professionals treating children with cancer and their families. Those elements considered essential in the process of cure and care of children with cancer are summarized in this document as a formal statement, developed at the 2007 SIOP annual meeting in Mumbai. Elaboration of the concepts with detailed strategies for practice can be found in the referenced guidelines [1-12] and in a companion publication [13].