Self-Reported Late Effects, Information Needs, and Preferences for Long-Term Follow-Up Care Among Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Nationwide Survivor-Led Survey from Germany

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Background: Rising survival rates have created a growing population of childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) who have an increased risk of late effects and require long-term follow-up (LTFU) care. Existing services are often fragmented and may not reflect survivors’ priorities; optimizing such care requires understanding not only the self-reported burden of late effects and their impact on daily lives but also survivors’ information status and their preferences for future care. Methods: Survivor Deutschland e.V. conducted a nationwide cross-sectional online survey assessing the current late effects, daily-life impairments, subjective information statuses, current follow-up structures, and preferences for future LTFU care. A total of 339 CCSs were included, covering all childhood cancer entities, most frequently leukemia (30.7%), central nervous system tumors (18.3%), and lymphoma (16.5%). Data were analyzed descriptively and supplemented by paired non-parametric analyses. Results: Overall, 74.3% (252/339) reported at least one late effect. Self-rated limitations in daily life had a median of five (Q1–Q3 3–7) on a 1–10 scale, which increased with the number of reported late effects. The most frequently affected domains were endocrine (36.3%, n = 123), fertility (33.6%), psychological (30.4%, n = 103), neurocognitive (26.0%, n = 88), and orthopedic (24.8%, n = 84) problems. A majority (69.3%, n = 235) knew that late effects existed yet felt insufficiently informed, and 4.4% only learned of these through the survey. Among 172 survivors in adult follow-up care, only 26.8% (46/172) reported access to structured, specialized LTFU care, whereas 56.4% (97/172) preferred this model. Survivors rated the importance of LTFU care highly (median 9/10) but rated satisfaction with their current care as much lower (median 3/10). The most valued components were the coverage of follow-up costs, sufficient consultation time, a dedicated contact person, and clear communication of results. Psychological support was a notable gap (5.8%, 10/172 current access vs. 17.9% 31/172 preferred), and 84.1% were willing to travel up to two hours or more for high-quality care. Conclusions: German CCSs report a high late-effect burden, meaningful impairment of their daily lives, a pronounced information gap, and substantial unmet care needs. These patient-centered findings support structured, risk-adapted LTFU with proactive information, integrated psychological support, and sustainable financing at specialized LTFU centers.

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