The large increase in the numbers of children surviving cancer has been hailed as one of the great successes of this nation’s investment in biomedical research. Many children who otherwise would have died within weeks or months of a cancer diagnosis are now living longer, with life expectancies sometimes extending into adulthood. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that extending lifespan and preserving quality of life for survivors will depend on screening for, and the managing of, the potential long-term effects of therapy.

Because childhood cancer survivors often lack information about the treatments they received and the long-term health implications of those treatments, researchers at Texas Children’s Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies in Houston, Texas, in conjunction with the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), are developing an interactive internet resource, called Passport For Care (PFC).

The long-awaited day has arrived: you have finished chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and your cancer is in remission. For millions of patients with cancer each year, ths day has become a reality. The number of cancer survivors has been increasing every year for decades.

Although the acute side effects of cancer therapy -- nausea, anemia and hair loss -- are well known, possible late or chronic complications resulting from cancer are not clearly defined. As cancer survivors live longer, the effects of cancer treatments and additional health risks become apparent. The most serious side effect is development of a second cancer.