title: Pediatric oncology survivorship: conveying risks and communicating information at the right time for the individual.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To summarize and discuss recent research (2011-2013) examining the communication needs of childhood cancer survivors with respect to long-term health risks and considering the developmental needs of children, adolescents and young adults.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Survivors' levels of awareness of ongoing health risks are low, indicating that clinical strategies for communicating risks and empowering young people as active partners in their own healthcare are lacking. Research examining the information needs of very young survivors is sparse. Adolescent and young adults may be particularly vulnerable given their lack of health-risk knowledge combined with expected developmental risk-taking behaviors. Strategies to manage individual information preferences of survivors are required, along with strategies to manage the triadic (child, parent, health professional) nature of communications. Internet technologies offer an important mechanism for communication of health risks to survivors, families and primary healthcare providers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  International efforts must continue to articulate systematic yet flexible approaches to communication with children, adolescents and young adults that can be applied across the cancer treatment continuum and into surveillance and long-term survivorship. Information and communication needs of this population are complex and reliance on age as a proxy for capacity to participate in healthcare communication is inadequate.
authors.affiliation: Children's Cancer Centre, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. maria.mccarthy@rch.org.au
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Drew
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D003142:Communication; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010372:Pediatrics; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D017741:Survivors