Childhood cancer survivors do well in school, work

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Despite lost school days, children who survive cancer go on to do as well as their peers in their academic and work life, new research suggests.

In a study that followed childhood cancer survivors and their classmates, researchers found that both groups were likely to have graduated from high school, have plans to attend college or have a job by the age of 18.

The cancer survivors' academic and work accomplishments were similar to those of their classmates, despite the fact that they had, not surprisingly, missed more school days and more often needed to repeat a grade.

That finding is"reassuring," lead researcher Dr. Cynthia A. Gerhardt, of Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ohio State University in Columbus, told Reuters Health.

Generally speaking, she noted, children who frequently miss school or have to repeat a grade tend to fare worse in their academic and work lives.

To investigate how these factors affect children with cancer, Gerhardt and her colleagues evaluated 56 children who were being treated for a cancer other than tumors of the central nervous system, as well as 60 of their classmates. The subjects were followed for several years and interviewed shortly after they turned 18 years old, the researchers report in the Journal of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics.

At that point, Gerhardt's team found, a similar percentage of cancer survivors and their classmates had graduated from high school, and roughly one third of students in each group had received school honors.

When asked about their plans after high school, 59 percent of survivors and 65 percent of their peers said they would attend college, while 68 percent and 73 percent, respectively, said they planned on working. Survivors were also as likely as their classmates to currently have a job.

Future studies should try to spot specific groups of childhood cancer survivors who might have more difficulty adjusting to their return to school, according to the researchers.

For example, Gerhardt pointed out, teens in this study who had more severe long-term side effects from their cancer treatment -- such as learning impairments or toxic effects on any body organ -- tended to do worse academically.

These children might need more help readjusting to school or getting extra educational support.

Because the study did not include children treated for cancers of the central nervous system, the findings cannot be extended to them, according to the researchers. Gerhardt added that these children have a greater risk of long-term cognitive problems, which would likely have a greater impact on school and work.

SOURCE: Journal of Development and Behavioral Pediatrics, December 2007.