Childhood Cancer ─ A Parent's Guide to Solid Tumor Cancers

Each year more than 5,000 children and teens in the United States are diagnosed with a solid tumor (e.g., kidney tumor, liver tumor, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, or sarcoma). The illnesses and their treatments can have devastating effects on family, friends, schoolmates, and the larger community. This newly updated edition contains essential information families need during this difficult time. It includes descriptions of the newest treatments, such as computer-assisted surgery, tandem stem cell transplants, and targeted therapies as well as practical advice about how to cope with diagnosis, medical procedures, hospitalization, school, and finances. Woven throughout the text are true storiespractical, poignant, moving, funnyfrom more than 100 children with cancer, their siblings, and their parents. The book, reviewed by renowned experts in childhood cancer, also contains a list of helpful resources.

Nancy Keene, a well-known writer and advocate for children with cancer, is the parent of a 24-year survivor of childhood cancer. She is one of the founders of the nonprofit Childhood Cancer Guides, and she has written many books for families of children with cancer, including "Childhood Leukemia"; "Your Child in the Hospital"; and "Chemo, Craziness, and Comfort". She co-authored "Childhood Brain & Spinal Cord Tumors" and "Childhood Cancer Survivors". She served as chair of the Patient Advocacy Committees of both the Children’s Cancer Group (CCG) and the Children’s Oncology Group (COG). In her spare time, she likes to read, hike with her dogs, and kayak in the Salish Sea. Anne Spurgeon, trained as a historian at the University of Wisconsin, is the parent of a long-term survivor of rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue sarcoma. For more than 15 years, she served as the executive director of the Badger Childhood Cancer Network in Madison, Wisconsin. Its mission is to educate, support, serve, and advocate for children with cancer, their families, survivors of childhood cancer, and the professionals who care for them. Anne enjoys having adventures with her three interesting young adult children; kayaking the beautiful lakes of Wisconsin; reading history, anthropology, and science; and making and drinking craft beer.