Pediatric cancer patients are classified in one of three major groups: young children, tweens/early teens and teens/young adults, says Dr. Sender. Developmental issues and stages of the child’s growth, including in utero before birth, are considered. “We think of adult cancers as the consequences of living your life. In childhood, it really is more about developmentally what is going on. Sometimes the cause is unknown,” says Dr. Sender.
DO TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS HAVE UNIQUE ISSUES RELATED TO THEIR CANCER TREATMENT?
Adolescents and young adults into their late 30s who are being treated for cancer face a wide range of issues that need to be considered to help them cope. These issues include fertility preservation, the development of body image, career and education considerations, and dealing with an increased dependence on parents at a time when many in this age group strive to be more independent.
Dr. Leonard Sender is the medical director at the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s and director of clinical operations and program development at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UC Irvine Medical Center. He also is a professor of medicine at UC Irvine. Dr. Sender completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at UC Irvine Medical Center and had a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. Dr. Sender has twice been named a “Top Doctor” by U.S. News & World Report. He serves as board chairman of the “Stupid Cancer” Foundation and is a founding member and chairman of SeventyK.org, an adolescent cancer advocacy organization.
In this segment of American Health Journal, Dr. Leonard Sender, Medical Director of Hyundai Cancer Insititute at CHOC Children’s, explains genomic cancer research and how identifying the specific medicines that work on a child’s disease is a challenge.
There’s never a good time for a cancer diagnosis, but the teen and young adult years can be an especially tough time for cancer patients. Adolescents and young adults into their 30s who are being treated for cancer face a wide range of issues special to their age group that need to be considered to help them cope. These issues include fertility preservation, the development of body image, career and education considerations, and dealing with an increased dependence on parents at a time when many in this age group strive to be more independent.
Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) encompasses the physical, cognitive and mental health issues affecting survivors of critical illness.
Asthma can be hard to diagnose in a young child and the symptoms can be mistaken for another illness. Children with asthma often have other conditions.