title: Treatment of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer in a multidisciplinary setting: on the way to a highly specialized AYA unit.
abstract: Further survival improvements of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer are clearly affected by biological characteristics of the malignancies and age-specific needs. Multidisciplinary teams drawing expertice from both pediatric and adult cancer teams as well as clinical trials are required to meet the age specific needs of AYA patients with cancer. In 2011, the first AYA unit was established at the University Hospital Halle (Saale), where patients with newly-diagnosed cancer aged 15-25 are treated interdisciplinary by pediatric and adult oncologists. The enrollment into pediatric or adult clinical trials is controlled by age 18. Over the last 2 years, 19 AYA with cancer have been treated at the unit; and, in turn patients and their relatives reflected a high satisfaction with the offered novel health care approach. In the scope of the future Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University Hospital Halle (Saale), a complete ward is planned for all admitted AYA up to 25 years with cancer. The patients will be treated by a tumor-specialized multidisciplinary team of adult or pediatric oncologists and oncological surgeons. Therefore, we intend to establish a special teaching curriculum for physicians, nurses and psychosocial health care staff. Rather than age, cancer biology of a malignancy, surveillance data of late side effects as well as the age-specific needs of AYA patients will be crucial for best treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Children's Hospital, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bernig
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jahn
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Witkowsky
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huehn
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hentschel
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kegel
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schmoll
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Körholz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005858:Germany; D006293:Health Promotion; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000193:education; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016522:Oncology Service, Hospital; D010348:Patient Care Team; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult