Are there any positive consequences of childhood cancer? A review of the literature

Abstract

The aim was to investigate whether there are any positive consequences of childhood cancer. Studies published 1990–2005 reporting survivors’ descriptions of positive consequences of childhood cancer were identified through a search in the databases CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PubMed. According to a manifest content analysis, positive consequences were referred to three themes: life values, relations to others, and relation to self. A second search in the same databases was conducted to identify studies investigating whether survivors of childhood cancer differ from comparison groups with regard to variables assigned to these themes. In these studies, no conclusions about positive consequences with regard to the theme life values can be drawn, as only one study was identified. In addition, only a small minority of findings from comparative studies indicate that childhood cancer has any positive consequences with regard to relations to others and relation to self. A majority of the results indicate that survivors do not differ from comparison groups, whereas some findings highlight that friendship and marital status are areas of concern, and parenthood and sexuality are areas of potential concern. It is recommended that survivors of childhood cancer are followed up by a multi-professional team, focusing not only on the survivors’ health status but also on relations to family, friends, and partners.