The president of the Spanish Federation of Childhood Cancer Families (FEFCI), Verónica Ortiz, has called for long-term survivor follow-up programs to "become a reality throughout the country," so that they are applied with the same criteria in all autonomous communities, since, in her words, "no survivor should receive different care because of where they live."
Ortiz made this call during the conference "Childhood Cancer Survivors: Life After Discharge," organized this Thursday by the federation in collaboration with Norgine, after positively assessing the recent approval in the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS) of the national model for the Individualized Follow-up Plan for Long-Term Childhood Cancer Survivors.
At the meeting, several survivors highlighted a reality that is still not very visible: the importance of offering support and care beyond the hospital to those who have overcome cancer in childhood or adolescence. They recalled that, after treatment, many people suffer from physical sequelae, attention or memory problems, anxiety about a possible relapse, difficulties related to fertility, or obstacles in accessing certain resources and services.
This situation affects a growing number of people thanks to advances in research and healthcare. According to the Spanish Registry of Childhood Tumors (RETI-SEHOP), childhood cancer survival in Spain already reaches 83.9 percent five years after diagnosis in children aged 0 to 14 years.
Challenges After Medical Discharge
In the round table "The Voice of the Survivors," Marta Casado, an osteosarcoma survivor; Pablo Huidobro, treated by the Association of Families and Friends of Children with Cancer (FARO); and Daniel Moreno and Álvaro González, treated by the Childhood Oncology Association of Madrid (ASION), shared their personal experiences, which illustrate the difficulties that persist once oncological treatment has ended.
Among the aspects they pointed out were anxiety about a possible relapse, obstacles in accessing certain support and benefits, lack of clear information about long-term sequelae, or uncertainties related to fertility. All of them agreed on the need for structured and continued support.
"For years we worked to ensure more minors survived childhood cancer, and today we can say we are achieving it. Now we have a new responsibility: to guarantee that these individuals can develop their life project with the best possible quality. Cancer can end, but its consequences do not always disappear with medical discharge," Verónica Ortiz stated.
"Life after discharge also deserves to be heard" was the motto that structured the conference, which brought together survivors, families, healthcare professionals, and institutions. The shared objective is that survival from childhood cancer is not measured only in added years, but also in quality of life, real opportunities, and integral well-being.