Long-term side effects of childhood cancer becoming apparent

EDMONTON- More children than ever are surviving cancer. However, many survivors are now noticing the long-term effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

The five-year survival rate for all childhood cancers is about 83 per cent.

“The prognosis for children with cancer has never been so good,” said Dr. John Mackey, an Oncologist at the Cross Cancer Institute. “We’re seeing the cure rates for cancers that children have at higher rates than we’ve ever seen them in the past.”

Kali Macdonald and Elexis Ortlieb have known each other since they were small children. The girls met while going through cancer treatment.

Both girls were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at very young ages; Kali when she was two years old and Elexis when she was three.

“I had to go through chemo for three years,” Kali recalled.

“My first battle I had all the chemotherapy and then my second journey I had to get full body radiation,” said Elexis.

While both girls beat cancer, they have developed side effects from their treatment.

“Although we were so grateful to have our daughter- because so many children had been lost that we knew in those three years- there was definitely a price to pay for having a successful treatment,” said Tammy Macdonald, Kali’s mother. “It’s just not a happily ever after kind of story.”

Elexis says she suffers from some short-term memory loss.

“Math and science are hard subjects for me because as soon as they move on, I’ve just grasped the last concept.”

Kali has similar symptoms, caused by what she calls “chemo brain.”

“My skills in math aren’t as high as some of the other kids my age. I’m not able to process things as quickly, and then there’s reaction time, my brain will process it but the physical reaction time will be longer.”

Mackey says cognitive delays are common among childhood cancer survivors.

“They may not have as rapidly maturing brains as a child who has not been exposed to these drugs,” he explained.

Nerve damage, heart disease and infertility are also common side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

“Chemotherapy can kill rapidly dividing cells, that’s how it really kills cancer cells, and among the normal tissues that people have are their eggs and sperm and these can be damaged by chemotherapy,” Mackey explained.

He says in many cases, the treatments children have received may have been too heavy, but research is already helping.

“By backing off on the doses and by, in some cases, omitting radio therapy or omitting certain drugs, our pediatric oncologists are achieving the same cure rates, but with fewer side effects.”

Despite the side effects, both of the girls have an extremely positive outlook on life.

“Just try to keep on keeping on, just go on with life and try to make the best of it,” said Kali.

“You have to live each day like it’s your last and have no regrets,” added Elexis.

Kali was the inspiration behind the annual Hair Massacure, which raises funds for pediatric cancer research. This year’s massacure is on Friday, February 15 at West Edmonton Mall.

With files from Su-Ling Goh.

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