Treatment for children with brain tumours

BMJ 1996;312:575 (2 March)

Letters

Treatment for children with brain tumours

Paediatric oncologists collaborate internationally

EDITOR,--Karol Sikora's editorial¹ and M C G Stevens and colleagues'article² highlight problems in dealing with cancer, especiallyin childhood. Although over the past two to three decades majoradvances in overall survival have been made for most childrenwith cancer, some tumours remain a huge challenge. One changehas been the expectation of society in general and individualparents in particular that children should not die. This wishobviously motivates families and oncology units to maximisesurvival and minimise toxicity and to use innovative treatmentswhen primary treatment has failed. However, the increasing trendfor families to seek further, often multiple opinions, thoughunderstandable, can be damaging for a child patient's physicaland emotional wellbeing. The quality of the terminal illnessmay be considerably worsened by frequent long distance traveland the family's anguish when hyped treatment does not liveup to expectations. Sadly, not . . . [Full text of this article]