Adolescents' knowledge of their disease, therapy and late effects post treatment for cancer

The purpose of this research was to identify the knowledge that a specific group of adolescent cancer survivors had regarding their disease, treatment and potential late effects of cancer treatment. Data were collected from 26 questionnaires answered by adolescent cancer survivors between the ages of 14 and 18. The data were summarized by tabulating the frequency of correctly and incorrectly answered questions in each category: disease, treatment and potential late effects.;A large majority of the participants knew about their disease. A majority knew about their surgery, radiation and could identify modes of treatment. Ninety-two percent did not know all of the chemotherapeutic agents they received and fifty-four percent did not know when treatment ended. Sixty-seven percent of participants did not know any potential late effects of radiation and eighty-eight percent did not know any potential late effects of chemotherapy.;These results suggest the need for educational programs that place emphasis on the specific chemotherapeutic agents childhood cancer survivors receive during treatment and the potential late effects of all modalities of their treatment.