Lessons from the past: Opportunities to improve childhood cancer survivor care through outcomes investigations of historical therapeutic approaches for pediatric hematological malignancies

• Authors: Melissa M. Hudson, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Joseph P. Neglia, University of Minnesota; William G Woods, Emory University; John T. Sandlund, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Ching-Hon Pui, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Larry E. Kun, University of Tennessee; Leslie L. Robison, University of Tennessee; Daniel M. Green, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• Journal Title: Pediatric Blood and Cancer
• Volume: Volume 58, Number 3
• Publisher: Wiley: 12 months | 2012-03-01, Pages 334-343
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.23385
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Oncology; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Epidemiology
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Oncology; Hematology; Pediatrics; childhood cancer therapy; late effects; long-term follow-up; ACUTE-LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA; ACUTE MYELOID-LEUKEMIA; NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA; CHILDRENS-ONCOLOGY-GROUP; ACUTE NONLYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA; FRANKFURT-MUNSTER GROUP; PHASE-III TRIAL; EFFECTIVE MULTIAGENT CHEMOTHERAPY; BONE-MARROW-TRANSPLANTATION; INVOLVED-FIELD RADIOTHERAPY

Abstract

Investigations of long-term outcomes have been instrumental in designing safer and more effective contemporary therapies for pediatric hematological malignancies. Despite the significant therapeutic changes that have occurred over the last five decades, therapy modifications largely represent refinements of treatment protocols using agents and modalities that have been available for more than 30 years. This review summarizes major trends in the evolution of treatment of pediatric hematological malignancies since 1960 to support the relevance of the study of late effects of historical therapeutic approaches to the design and evaluation of contemporary treatment protocols and the follow-up of present-day survivors.