Cancer Among the Adolescents and Young Adults
Adolescents and young adults with cancer often fall between the cracks of the health care system. This group has a particular set of needs and a distribution of diseases that is different from children and older adults. Recognition of these challenges, and the current disadvantages that accompany them, stimulated new programs to fit the unique needs for this particular population of patients.
Few facts about young adults with cancer:
- During the 1990s, cancer was the 3rd most frequent cause of disease-related mortality, behind suicide and HIV infection.
- It is now the #1 disease killer.
- Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients have been disadvantaged by a survival gap.
- The average annual % increase in the 5-year survival from diagnosis over the years 1975-1997 was 1.5% per year, according to the National Cancer Institute data.
- When analyzed as a function of 5 yr age groups, both those <15 yrs of age and those over 55 had an average annual percentage improvement that exceeded the all-age average.
- For those between 15 and 55 yrs of age, however, there has been little to no improvement during the past quarter century among 25-35 year-olds.
The VECC Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program (AYA)
Is a partnership between medical and pediatric oncology services. The program has been developed to fill the need of providing care, conducting research, and offering support and education to adolescents and young adults with cancer. This new program will work to decrease the burden of cancer in this age group by providing access to the best available multidisciplinary clinical care, meeting their unique developmental psychosocial needs, and contributing to the scientific understanding of cancer in this population. It will become a model for multidisciplinary, holistic, patient-centered and biology-driven care for historic "pediatric" or "adult" diseases that transcend traditional age-restricted barriers to care and research.
The program offers:
- Qualified medical and pediatric and gynecological oncology experience
- Experience in the care of AYA tumors
- Assessesment of medical, educational and psychosocial needs of AYA patient and links them up to appropriate services and advocates for needs during therapy, TOTAL CARE addresses issues such as fertility, dating/ intimacy, insurance, vocation, schooling, parental involvement
- Ability to enroll on clinical trials for that tumor in that age group
- Ability to care for patient in an outpatient and inpatient setting that feels comfortable and suitable to the patient
- Body, mind and spirit approach to healing
