Akron Children's Hospital launches mobile app for childhood cancer survivors

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Jan 15, 2014, 01:48 ET

AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Akron Children's Hospital, with funding from Hyundai Hope on Wheels, is giving childhood cancer survivors the resources they need to live a healthy adult life.

Through CancerLateFX, a free, personalized mobile app and website (www.CancerLateEffects.org), childhood cancer survivors can get educational information, tips, tools and resources to keep them informed and healthy throughout their adult lives.

Each year, about 13,500 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer, according to the Children's Oncology Group. Although the number of diagnoses has not declined in nearly 20 years, the overall survival rate has increased from 10 percent from just 40 years ago to nearly 80 percent today.

The same treatments responsible for higher survival rates can also lead to adverse long-term health outcomes, referred to as late effects. Common late effects of childhood cancer encompass broad areas, including growth and development, organ function, reproductive capacity, secondary cancers and psychological disorders.

"Various cancer-related groups provide educational materials, but they are written primarily for healthcare professionals and often provide too much information for young adults," said Stephanie Savelli, MD, director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at Akron Children's Hospital. "We designed the CancerLateFX app to help educate childhood cancer survivors and improve health promotion."

The Children's Oncology Group estimates there are approximately 350,000 adult survivors of pediatric cancer in the United States. And 3 out of 5 who survive children's cancer suffer late-effects.

Akron Children's new mobile app and website aims to help this population by increasing the understanding of late effects and prevention measures in young adults, while building self-advocacy and self-care once a survivor has left the pediatric system.

Instead of providing general health guidelines, the app generates content based on a person's symptoms and medical history. CancerLateFX also uses the survivor's cancer type and specific medications/treatments to introduce goals, prevention tips and talking points that can be further explored with the user's current healthcare provider.

The website and mobile app were developed with funding from the Hyundai Hope on Wheels Grant program, which donates $6.8 million per year in the form of $100,000 research and programmatic grants awarded to nonprofit institutions across the country.

For more information, visit www.CancerLateEffects.org or download it (CancerLateFX) from the app store on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

About Akron Children's Hospital
Akron Children's Hospital is one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the U.S. We are proud to be ranked among the best children's hospitals in the country for pediatric specialty care and nursing excellence. More than 780 providers strong, our dedicated staff handles more than 700,000 patient visits a year. As an integrated, independent pediatric healthcare delivery system, we have two hospital campuses and 80+ primary and specialty care locations throughout northern Ohio. Besides expert medical care, we're leading the way to healthier futures for children and communities through prevention and wellness programs. We are a teaching affiliate of Northeast Ohio Medical University, training a new generation of pediatricians and specialists, and our research institute is advancing pediatric medicine and improving patient care. Akron Children's has been caring for children regardless of a family's ability to pay since 1890. For more information, visit akronchildrens.org.

SOURCE Akron Children's Hospital