2012 Symposium

2012 POGO Symposium on Childhood Cancer

Posted on January 31, 2013 by admin

The 2012 POGO Multi-Disciplinary Symposium on Childhood Cancer – Lost in Transition: Adolescent and Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer – focused on clinical late effects of various cancer treatments and the psychological impacts of cancer diagnosis and treatment on adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer. In the tradition of POGO’s Symposia, this two-day event was interdisciplinary, drawing over 275 faculty and attendees from medicine, nursing, and the behavioural disciplines.

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NOTE: The content of each presentation below captures the unedited information and opinions presented by the speakers. Please note that the information contained in the presentations was current at the time it was presented – there may be further information in subsequent literature. Listed speaker credentials were current at the time of presentation.

Survivorship and Childhood Cancer: An Historical Perspective

Posted on January 31, 2013 by admin

Presentation Description: Beginning in the 1950s, late effects of cancer therapy began to be realized. It was, however, only until survival rates dramatically increased in the 1970s that studies began to investigate how cancer therapy could affect developing organ systems of children. Since that time, there have been several major scientific advances contributing to our understanding of the risks of late effects of cancer and cancer therapy and methods to prevent or reduce the incidence and severity of these risks. As we have witnessed a growing number of children survive their cancer to die years later of an often preventable therapy-related condition, the operating paradigm of the survivorship research community has evolved to ‘maintain the cure, maintain the quality of the cure.’

Speaker:

Kevin C. Oeffinger, MD
Full Member and Attending Director, MSKCC Adult Long-Term Follow-Up Program
Department of Pediatrics and Medicine
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York

Psychological Outcomes in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Posted on January 31, 2013 by admin

Presentation Description: This session reviewed the research literature on risks for psychological late-effects in AYA survivors, illustrated common presentations of psychological distress in survivors, and considered how the effects of cancer on adolescent development may impact later adjustment.

Speaker:

Christopher J. Recklitis, PhD, MPH
Clinical Psychologist
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School, Boston

An Overview of Transition Issues in AYA Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Posted on January 31, 2013 by admin

Presentation Description: For the survivors of childhood or adolescent cancer, life-long follow-up is recommended to ensure appropriate surveillance for late complications of treatment and psychosocial support. In order to accomplish this, transition of follow-up care from pediatric to adult-focused providers is necessary. In addition, transition from adolescence to young adulthood raises numerous issues characteristic of the cancer survivor, including ensuring access to appropriate care, maintaining health insurance, finishing formal education, choosing a vocation, and adapting to new roles in the family and society. Many of these are especially acute for survivors with neuro-cognitive deficits. This panel utilized case vignettes to frame these issues and stimulate open discussion highlighting the challenges and strategies for addressing them.

Panel:

Kevin C. Oeffinger, MD
Full Member and Attending
Director, MSKCC Adult Long-Term Follow-Up Program
Department of Pediatrics and Medicine
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York

Wendy Hobbie, MSN, PNP-BC, FAAN
Associate Director
Cancer Survivorship Program
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

David R. Freyer, DO, MS
Director, LIFE Cancer Survivorship & Transition Program
Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

CIHR Late Effects Grant: An Overview

Posted on January 31, 2013 by admin

Presentation Description: This session provided an overview of four late effects research studies, funded by CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research):

1) Neurocognitive-Phenome, Genome, Epigenome and Nutriome In Childhood Leukemia Survivors: N-PhenoGENICS
2) Preventing Cardiac Sequelae in Pediatric Cancer Survivors
3) Applying Biomarkers to Long-Term Effects in child and Adolescent Cancer Treatment
4) Early-Detection of Adverse Long-Term Treatment Effects in Childhood Leukemia Survivors

Speakers:

Shinya Ito, MD, FRCPC
Head, Division of Clinical Pharmacology/Toxicology, the Hospital for Sick Children
Professor, University of Toronto

Paul Nathan, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Director, AfterCare Program, The Hospital for Sick Children
Associate Professor, Pediatrics and Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto

Kirk R. Schulz, MD
Director, Childhood Cancer and Blood Research, BC Children’s Hospital and Child and Family Research Insittute, Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program
Professor of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia
*NOTE – Kirk Schultz was unable to attend the Symposium. David Malkin (MD, FRCPC) presented his slides.

Daniel Sinnett, PhD
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Université de Montréal
Research Scientist, Department of Hematology-Oncology, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center

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