Speak Out April 2021

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New guidelines improve quality of life after cancer Supporting children to live full lives after treatment

By Michelle Blowes The University of Sydney

More and more children are surviving leukaemia and brain cancer, but many are left with longer-term communication difficulties. Dr Kimberley Docking has dedicated her career to making sure no one overlooks what comes next for these kids. Up to 80 percent of children treated for brain cancer or leukaemia go on to develop communication difficulties from their cancer and lifesaving treatment. Some children don’t develop cognitive-communication difficulties until months or even years after their cancer treatment. If these are left untreated, social and personal relationships, schooling, and career prospects can be severely impacted. Some children also experience or develop swallowing and feeding difficulties during treatment (e.g. mouth ulcers), or longer-term as a result of the brain cancer and/or surgery, requiring ongoing management.

In a world-first, new NHMRC endorsed guidelines provide national recommendations to ensure that children are provided follow up care for communication and swallowing until adolescence and that

health professionals and families are more aware of these issues. “The incidence of childhood brain cancer and leukaemia is rising, but thankfully so too are the survival rates due to advances in medical care and treatments,” said Dr Kimberley Docking, Director of the NeuroKids

Dr Kimberley Docking

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Speak Out | April 2021