The truly cured child?

Abstract

The concept of the truly cured child, denoting a child on par with his or her peers in development, maturation, achievement, and aspirations, was introduced in 1977. 'Cure' is the norm in pediatric oncology. However, the cure of a disease and the consequences of that disease are complex concepts. Cure has at least three components: a biological cure, a psychological cure, and a social cure. Biological and psychological cures have been realized, but the social cure is yet to be achieved. The concept of the truly cured child is widely accepted. School reintegration is the primary method by which psychosocial cure is approached. The characteristics of psychosocial cure and the obstacles that hinder uniformly achieving the goal should be recognized so that the truly cured child can be a realistic goal in pediatric oncology.