Shifting Into Survivorship

In just the United States, more than 15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. Globally, that number is greater than 300,000. As difficult as those numbers may be, there is good news: Our cancer therapies continue to improve. In the 1960s, only about 5% of children survived leukemia. Today, that number is 90% or better. Many more pediatric oncology patients are now transitioning into survivors of childhood cancer and have the opportunity to achieve their hopes and dreams as adults. This means primary care providers are caring for these patients in increasing numbers. What’s important to know about this group of kids? In this episode, we discuss how to best integrate survivorship care with pediatric care.

The Children’s Hospital Colorado HOPE Cancer Survivorship Program is one of the longest running survivorship programs in the nation. Leading that charge is Jenna Demedis, MD, who specializes in pediatric hematology and oncology. Dr. Demedis completed her training at Children’s Colorado and is currently an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

In this episode, our expert discusses:

• When a patient can transition into survivorship
• How to keep patient families engaged in these programs
• How primary care providers can partner with survivorship programs