This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
GPs should monitor long-term effects of chemo on young
A report published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has called on GPs to monitor the young cancer survivors from side effects, even decades after treatment has finished.
Data shows there are over 2,000 new cases of cancer a year in young people aged 15-24, a 19 per cent increase on the number of cases during the mid-1990s.
The study highlighted that the side-effects of chemotherapy were different for children compared to those seen in adults. The latents effect of chemotherapy can include: memory loss; fatigue; stress, anxiety and depression; deafness; coronary artery disease; hypertension; infertility; and osteoporosis.
Dr Saif Ahmad, academic special registrar in clinical oncology at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, maintained that it was important for GPs to give young people sufficient advice in order prevent the late effects from occurring.
Ahmad recommended discussing ways of preserving fertility, referring the young person to a clinic and - for female patients - talking about new ways of freezing ovarian tissue before treatment.
The article also advised that GPs should actively ask about psychosocial issues such as coping with work and the fear of the disease returning, in addition to finding support groups to help young people talk about issues worrying them.
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