Late effects
This page is a knowledge resource for health care professionals and researchers with an interest in late effects after childhood cancer. You will find information on care, research, and guidelines, and on how these are connected within the Princess Máxima Center and through national collaborations.
Contact
Raphaële van Litsenburg
Leontien Kremer
Late effects care at the Princess Máxima Center is organized through the LATER outpatient clinic. Scientific research takes place within the Kremer LATER research group. Clinical care, guidelines, and research come together within the M4C LATER collaboration. What we observe in clinical practice is studied in research, and new knowledge from research is translated directly into care.
LATER clinic: multidisciplinary follow-up care
The LATER clinic provides long-term, multidisciplinary care for children and adults who were treated for cancer during childhood. The focus is on the early detection of late effects. From five years after diagnosis, survivors receive regular follow-up based on their individual risk profile. This follow-up is carried out by various specialists using different screening methods.
When late effects are identified, the LATER clinic refers survivors to specialists in their own region for treatment. For each survivor, the team develops an individual care plan and coordinates appointments and communication. Around the age of eighteen, a structured transfer takes place from the pediatric oncologist to adult care within the LATER clinic.
LATER research: from data to better care
LATER research focuses on gaining new insights into late effects after childhood cancer. This includes epidemiological research into risks and risk factors, as well as intervention studies. Data from LATER care are used for research within M4C LATER after informed consent. In this way, guidelines and knowledge are continuously improved. The strength of this research lies in the combination of large national and international patient cohorts, multidisciplinary expertise, and care innovation.
In addition, we summarize all knowledge on late effects in comprehensive, evidence-based, and practice-oriented national and international guidelines for survivor care.
Starting point
This page serves as a starting point for professionals. In the coming years, we will further expand the platform with:
in-depth modules
practical tools and guidelines
structured overviews of ongoing care and research projects, research results, and publications
training programs, best practices, and the LATER Knowledge Center