H.O.P.E. for Young Cancer Survivors

A Constant Companion

Cancer survivors who are children when they first visit The Children’s Hospital’s H.O.P.E. (Helping Oncology Patients Excel) Clinic probably won’t understand the importance of the tests and the information they receive. For this reason, the H.O.P.E. Clinic also provides additional consultation for survivors who are now old enough to understand their medical history.

As many of the patients treated in the H.O.P.E. Clinic’s early years are now in their twenties and thirties, the service is proving to be especially valuable. Even older patients are contacting the clinic.

“We recently had a consultation with a woman in her sixties,” said Brian Greffe, MD, medical director of the H.O.P.E. Clinic at Children’s and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. “Along with learning more about her condition, she wanted our patients to know that they too can survive cancer and thrive. Most of our patients do grow into healthy, happy adults.”

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As one of the oldest clinics in America dedicated to providing pediatric cancer survivors with the resources they need to face the future, The Children’s Hospital’s H.O.P.E. (Helping Oncology Patients Excel) Clinic has been celebrating optimism since 1987.

Survivors of pediatric cancer can look to the H.O.P.E. Clinic for the information they need to lead the healthiest post-cancer lives possible. Any survivor of pediatric cancer who is five years from her diagnosis and two years out of treatment can come to the clinic and receive follow-up plans from a physician or nurse practitioner, an oncology nurse, a neuropsychologist, a social worker and a dietitian, as well as other pediatric subspecialists.

Comprehensive care

Designed to treat the whole person, the H.O.P.E. Clinic is popular among families because of the detailed diagnostic information they and their children’s physicians receive from specialists at the clinic.

“Given that we now cure 80 percent of pediatric cancer cases in the United States, our multidisciplinary team provides families and primary care physicians with a roadmap to care after the cancer is gone,” said Brian Greffe, MD, medical director of the H.O.P.E. Clinic at Children’s and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. “Ultimately, we are providing these survivors with the resources they need to live healthy lives and avoid any potential medical problems.”

Looking to the future with H.O.P.E.

Beyond helping families understand what should be done after battling cancer to ensure their child’s best health, the H.O.P.E. Clinic also provides advice and services to help survivors succeed in life. A social worker assists patients and families in finding college scholarships, while a neurophysiologist works with families to ensure there are no lingering worries or fears associated with the cancer.

“Our clinic is a rite of passage,” Dr. Greffe said. “Children who come here will probably never develop cancer again, but need this step to learn how to move forward with confidence. They are here to embrace their futures.”

Learn more about the H.O.P.E. Clinic at The Children’s Hospital