AYAs : The H.U.B commits to providing specific care for Adolescent and Young Adult cancer patients.

To mark World Cancer Day, focus on AYAs - Adolescents and Young Adults

1 December 2023 marked a major turning point in medical and psychological care in Belgium for adolescents and young adults (AYAs), aged between 16 and 35, diagnosed with cancer. At the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Public Health, a new convention was signed between six hospitals with the aim of providing this population with quality care specifically designed for people of their age so as to improve their quality of life during and after treatment.  The H.U.B and more specifically the Jules Bordet Institute and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital were designated reference centres for treating AYAs. 

Specialised care for Adolescents and Young Adults with cancer

The Jules Bordet Institute and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital have committed to providing specialised and adapted care for adolescents and young adults with cancer. A multidisciplinary reference team has been trained to ensure this goal is achieved. The team consists of a specialist doctor, a specialised nurse, a social worker and a psychologist.   The mission is to promote cancer care for AYA patients that takes full account of their specific needs, to disseminate scientific knowledge, to optimise the system of psychosocial support, to increase awareness among first line nurses and to participate in the development of research and innovation. 

The challenges faced between the ages of 16 and 25

The years between the ages of 16 and 35 is a time when young people face challenges in many areas of life, such as building their identity, acquiring their autonomy and independence, choice of education and profession, development of interpersonal relations, discovery of their sexuality, creating a family, etc.  The cancer diagnosis and associated treatment can have a lasting impact on their physical and mental health, relations with their peers, their personal identity, their body image, their sexuality, the way they see the future and existential perspectives. This is why it is essential to provide specific care that meets the psychosocial, emotional and medical needs of these patients that are different to those of children and older adults

Five key priorities

The AYA centres place the emphasis on a global approach to care that revolves around five key priorities: 

• Psychosocial support: providing adapted support to help young patients in facing the medical treatment they require and the specific challenges of their age group.   
• An early diagnosis of high quality: aimed at detecting cancers at an early stage when the chances of a cure are at a maximum. 
• Early orientation towards reproductive medicine: crucially important for this age group in order to enable them to maintain and protect their future potential to have children.
• Early genetic advice: crucial to understanding the patient’s individual risk and the implementation of prevention strategies and targeted treatment. 
• Participation in clinical trials: offering the patient the possibility of access to innovative treatment. 

The Jules Bordet Institute and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital at the heart of the action

The Jules Bordet Institute and the Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital assume resolutely the role of quality care providers for adolescents and young adults with cancer.  Their expertise plays an essential role in the national mission to establish care standards for AYAs in Belgium. For patients, such a device permits a holistic approach through a targeted and specific response to the medical and psychosocial needs of each patient, encompassing the environmental, scholastic and professional dimensions as well as individual rights.