General Information
This cancer treatment information summary provides an overview of
the prognosis, diagnosis, classification, and treatment of childhood liver cancer.
The National Cancer Institute provides the PDQ pediatric cancer treatment information summaries as a public service to increase the availability of evidence-based cancer information to health professionals, patients, and the public. These summaries are updated regularly according to the latest published research findings by an Editorial Board of pediatric oncology specialists.
Cancer in children and adolescents is rare. Children and adolescents with
cancer should be referred to medical centers that have a multidisciplinary team
of cancer specialists with experience treating the cancers that occur during
childhood and adolescence. This multidisciplinary team approach incorporates the skills
of the primary care physician, pediatric surgical subspecialists, radiation
therapists, pediatric oncologists/hematologists, rehabilitation specialists,
pediatric nurse specialists, social workers, and others to ensure that
children receive treatment, supportive care, and rehabilitation that will
achieve optimal survival and quality of life. (Refer to the PDQ Supportive Care summaries for specific information about supportive care for children and adolescents with cancer.)
Guidelines for pediatric cancer
centers and their role in the treatment of pediatric patients with cancer have
been outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics.[1] At these pediatric
cancer centers, clinical trials are available for most types of cancer
that occur in children and adolescents, and the opportunity to participate in
these trials is offered to most patients/families. Clinical trials for
children and adolescents with cancer are generally designed to compare
potentially better therapy with therapy that is currently accepted as standard.
Most of the progress made in identifying curative therapies for
childhood cancers has been achieved through clinical trials. Information about
ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI
Web site.
In recent decades, dramatic improvements in survival have been achieved for children and adolescents with cancer. Childhood and adolescent cancer survivors require close follow-up since cancer therapy side effects may persist or develop months or years after treatment. (Refer to Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer for specific information about the incidence, type, and monitoring of late effects in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors.)
References
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Guidelines for the pediatric cancer center and role of such centers in diagnosis and treatment. American Academy of Pediatrics Section Statement Section on Hematology/Oncology. Pediatrics 99 (1): 139-41, 1997.
[PUBMED Abstract]
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