It’s said very few children survived cancer before the 1970s. (1)_______________________. Yet the chemical drugs and radiation employed to cure their cancers can cause other problems later. A newly reported study investigated more than 12 000 grown-ups who survived childhood cancers. Their average age at the time of the study was twenty-eight. (2)_____________________________. And they were eight times as likely as their sisters or brothers to encounter life-threatening conditions, because chemical drugs can damage bone growth during an important period of development, and radiation for some cancers can increase the risk of other cancers later. (3)___________________________. The study also found that girls who survived cancer were more likely than boys to have problems later. Doctors say newer cancer treatments are a little safer but not much. Still, the good news is that many of the conditions linked to cancer treatments can be found when they are still treatable. According to the author of the study, doctors should watch closely for problems as childhood cancer survivors get older. He says doctors should also be sure to provide information about problems that a child cancer patient might expect in the future. And he says it is especially important for survivors to eat right, exercise and not smoke.
