title: Nationwide Survey on the Health of Offspring from Former Childhood Cancer Patients in Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased risk for infertility from cancer treatment and fear of health impairment in their offspring may prevent survivors of childhood cancer from having own children. Even though most studies report no increased risk for malformations, in our German fertility study 2008 a higher occurrence of cleft lip and palate was found in offspring of former patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Since 2010 we assess offspring's health in a survey-based multicenter study, comparing diseases, well-being, healthcare utilization and health-related behavior between offspring from survivors, siblings or the general population. Within a first nationwide survey wave survivors who were known to have at least one child by previous fertility studies, received a questionnaire supported by the German Childhood Cancer Registry. Questionnaires were based on the KiGGS study on children's health in the German general population conducted by the Robert-Koch Institute (n=17,641).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Questionnaires on 418 children were answered by 65% (254/393) of survivors contacted to participate in the first nationwide offspring study wave. Participants were more likely to be female (p<0.01), to have achieved higher educational levels (p<0.05) and to be a survivor of a soft tissue tumor (p<0.05). Former patients expressed moderate to high anxiety for the occurrence of cancer in 74% and feared other diseases in their children in 20%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Offspring health is a topic of major relevance to former patients. Our offspring study is currently being extended to ~1500 offspring of childhood cancer survivors in Europe.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balcerek
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.affiliation: Robert Koch-Institute, Department for Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schlack
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borgmann-Staudt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany; D006405:Hematology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007391:International Cooperation; D007802:Language; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D011642:Publications / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends