April 2, 2023, 6:28 am | Read time: 4 minutes
A cancer diagnosis during adolescence can significantly disrupt patients’ lives. Instead of focusing on graduation, career choices, or college, they must first overcome a treacherous disease. That’s why special attention is needed.
The University Hospital Dresden aims to expand its offerings for young cancer patients. “Boys and girls in puberty or transitioning into professional life are already in a challenging phase. Therefore, they need different support than older patients,” said Judith Lohse, a pediatric hematology and oncology physician. A child who develops leukemia at age three may not remember the treatment later. However, older children and adolescents often require psychosocial assistance.
Overview
More Offerings for Better Care of Young Cancer Patients
In the fall of 2020, a “transition consultation” for follow-up care after cancer therapy in childhood and adolescence was established at the University Hospital, with support from the Sonnenstrahl Association, a parent association for children and adolescents with cancer. Transition refers to the shift and best describes the situation of those affected. The consultation aims to facilitate an optimal transition from pediatric to adult medicine. Physicians from both fields are involved, as well as a specially trained social worker. In the daily routine of a clinic, specific needs of this patient group can hardly be addressed with tailored offerings. More offerings are intended to change this in the future.
It’s Difficult to Bring Together Patients of Similar Ages
“We try to accommodate patients of the same age groups together, but that’s not always possible,” explained Judith Lohse. Sometimes, adolescents are treated on a ward with infants and young children, while young adults are treated alongside older people in the adult clinic. In this situation, it’s difficult to meet peers, exchange experiences, and encourage each other.
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Establishing Guides for Those Affected
Initially, the focus in Dresden is on establishing special guides for those affected–a service currently only funded through donations. The guide is intended to act as a kind of networker, bringing young patients together during their hospital stay and outpatient therapy or serving as a mentor, explained Anna Kraft, spokesperson for the National Center for Tumor Diseases at the University Hospital Dresden. “He should also create opportunities for regular exchanges, such as in the form of a café or through exercise offerings for these patients.”
Significantly Improved Chances of Recovery for Certain Cancers
Internist Katharina Egger-Heidrich, who significantly oversees the transition consultation alongside Judith Lohse, points to the statistics. In the past two to three decades, the chances of recovery for certain cancers have significantly improved. According to the German Childhood Cancer Registry from 2019, 82 percent of patients under 18 survive cancer for at least 15 years, and for lymphoblastic leukemia, it’s even 90 percent. Seven percent of those affected develop cancer again within 30 years after the diagnosis, which is why follow-up care is particularly important.
Also interesting: Blood cancer is the most common type of cancer in children
Leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children.
Signs That May Indicate Blood Cancer
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Affects a Quarter of Young Cancer Patients
“We can’t eradicate cancer, but we can treat it better and better,” said Lohse. The most common cancer in childhood is acute lymphoblastic leukemia, affecting about a quarter of young cancer patients. Leukemias may be triggered by infections, which could explain their prevalence in this age group. In Dresden, there are about 60 to 70 new cases each year.
According to Egger-Heidrich, young people generally tolerate chemotherapy better. “Their organs are still healthy, and they don’t have pre-existing conditions like liver damage or kidney insufficiencies. Only with increasing age does the prognosis worsen. “The classic carcinoma, which plays a role in old age, is almost nonexistent in childhood,” Lohse added.
Sources
- Dresden’s Top Medicine. In the Present. For the Future. New Consultation Paves the Way for Young Cancer Patients into Adult Medicine. (accessed on March 28, 2023)
- With material from dpa