Late effects

As you may have already experienced, there are many, many kinds of late effects. Some may be easy to see or notice, like hemiparesis or hearing aids for hearing loss, while others are “hidden,” like infertility or learning disabilities. What some survivors find particularly frustrating is that late effects can surface from two to five years, or even longer, after initial treatment. Having fought hard and been through so much to battle your tumor, the appearance of late effects several years down the road can come as a hard blow. Read comments from survivors about their experiences with late effects. 

The good news is that some late effects are temporary. It's also reassuring to know that studies show the overwhelming majority of survivors (89%) report being in good health. The likelihood of developing late effects is related to things like your age, the doses of and the parts of the body exposed to chemotherapy and radiation, the type and location of the tumor and the severity of your disease. Learn more about the most common late effects in pediatric brain tumor survivors.

You can listen to an archived internet conference entitled "Growth and Development: Endocrine Issues Facing Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors" by Alan D. Rogol, M.D., Ph.D. about some of the late effects survivors often encounter or order a free copy of the conference on a CD.