Lina Saltykova, President of the Foundation, is telling:
"After successful treatment of grave oncohematological diseases, sometimes including marrow transplantation, many children face serious health problems. Their struggle for life was successful, yes, but this life turned out to be worse than expected. Numerous children, especially adolescents, encounter medical, psychological, and physical difficulties and cannot overcome them alone or together with their parents. Some children have real depressions, up to suicidal intentions.
We have already considered the problem of their rehabilitation, but this issue requires a systemic approach. After discussions with the administration of the hospital and with the physicians, we have started creating a special rehabilitation service.
The program has already started working in several directions.
Dentistry. Many children have completely rotten teeth after aggressive chemotherapy. This problem creates a lot of medical and psychological troubles. One good private dental clinic in Moscow has offered its help to such children, and over 30 of our former patients received treatment there in 2006. However, the problem of prosthodontics has not yet been resolved, although many children after cancer treatment need tooth prostheses.
Graft vs. host disease (GVHD). Many children develop a severe graft vs. host disease after marrow transplantation, and sometimes its manifestations cannot be cured for months and even years. One of such patients, our Vadik Markunin, was even sent to a foreign clinic for special treatment (photopheresis). The results are so positive that now the possibility of installing photopheresis equipment at the RCCH is under discussion, so that the children could receive the same help at our hospital.
Osteological and articular problems. After chemotherapy, many children need restoration of bones and joints. This problem is very serious. For example, some patients cannot walk after treatment, and we help them in buying wheelchairs and ortheses. Surgical help is sometimes required. Some children have been sent abroad for treatment.
Problems with the digestive system. A recent example is Masha Tseberyaboi, who had a serious lesion of the esophagus. The girl underwent a successful surgery in Munich. Before that, she just couldn't take food through her mouth.
The necessity of creating a special service is evident. Lots of children after oncohematological diseases need help in rehabilitation. Our aim is to achieve a better quality of their life and to help them return to normal existence."

Yulia V. Skvortsova, physician from the Department of Marrow Transplantation, is telling:
"Children after stem cell or bone marrow transplantation, as well as children after high-dose chemotherapy, may suffer from a multitude of complications. Some of them are manifested at early stages, some fairly late, years after the transplantation or after the completion of treatment. These possible complications are highly diverse. Their etiology is associated with the hematopoietic system, and so monitoring of such patients requires regular blood tests, detection of relapses, and possible appearance of autoimmune disorders.
For example, there are posttransplantation complications (chronic graft vs. host disease), which may appear 100 days after the transplantation and then be manifested for several years. Such children need continuous monitoring and regular clinical assessment of their condition.
Also, there may be endocrine complications. The hormonal disbalance is very marked after chemotherapeutic intervention, and specialists must monitor the functioning of the thyroid gland and the sexual development of both girls and boys. Such children often have delayed development in these respects and need substitutive hormonal therapy. Some children may have delayed growth. Their emotional state is rather poor, and they need not only an endocrinologist but also a psychotherapist to help them.
The children's bones are affected by the treatment. The results include osteoporosis and impaired blood supply of bones, especially the femoral head, which sometimes requires surgical intervention. It is very important to reveal the development of this complication at an early stage, while its aggravation can still be prevented.
Respiratory disorders, obstructive syndromes, more frequent infectious diseases may also develop. The spectrum of possible complications is extremely diverse, and it is very painful that children who have coped with cancer after such severe treatment suddenly begin to suffer from complications, which are poorly diagnosed by physicians, especially at small provincial hospitals. Therefore, our efforts should be directed at early diagnosis and treatment of such conditions."