This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Adult survivors of pediatric lower extremity bone tumors represent a specific sub-group of childhood cancer survivors who encounter considerable risks for cancer related sequelae. Children with bone tumors are not only exposed to significant amounts of chemotherapy, but often also require extensive surgery consisting of amputation or limb sparing procedures, and/or high doeses of radiotherapy. Survivors of bone tumors of the lower extremity, the most common site of tumor presentation, experience physical consequences of treatment that can be quite noticeable (limb loss or limp that affect functional status and limits activity) and adversely affect self image. The potential impact of these treatments is further influenced by the emotional and skeletal maturity of the child at the time of diagnosis and treatment. Overall, survivors of pediatric bone tumors are at risk for potentially poor QOL and function. Development of a measure that assesses QOL and functoin and predicts actual physical function would be important in the follow-up of these survivors and would allow for the implementation of supportive services and evaluation of new surgical techniques and treatments. Our research hopes to validate whether a newer measure, the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score (TESS) measurement, which is a self administered measure of disability, correlates with quantitative measures of function. This will allow us to prospectively evaluate function via questionnaires when it is not possible or practical to see patients in a centralized clinical setting. These assessments of functional outcome and disability are important in allowing the medical team to determine how survivors are performing with various surgical options and allows providers to identify those who are having functional difficulties and potentially have poor QOL.
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