Expert from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Available for Comment
Newswise — New Brunswick, N.J., January 16, 2012 – According to a 2006 report by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, adolescent cancer patients (including teens aged 15 to 19) have “fallen through the cracks when it comes to treatment, clinical research, resources and support services.” Because members of this age group do not fall into the typical care model for younger pediatric patients, they often face many challenges in the adult medical setting. It is because of these patients’ unique needs that legislation was signed in 2010 designating the third week of January as “Teen Cancer Awareness Week” in New Jersey.
Challenges that face this group include:
Access to cancer care Lack of recognition of cancer symptoms by family physicians Older patients aging out of their parents’ insurance plans.
Expert Available from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey:
Richard Drachtman, MD, is the interim division chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. He says bringing recognition to this particular population hopefully will serve as a reminder to parents that preventative check-ups are still a good idea, even through the teen years. Members of this age group typically no longer go to a family physician for an annual visit, and when cancer symptoms do present themselves, they can often be dismissed as caused by less serious ailments since cancer is of low suspicion in this age group.
As a member of the NCI Pediatric Central Institutional Review Board, which reviews NCI-sponsored pediatric clinical trials, Dr. Drachtman also notes that in the area of research, a specific focus is needed on adolescent cancer patients. “This is a population whose tumor biology may closely resemble that of an adult patient, but many times adolescent patients are not eligible to participate in what is considered an ‘adult’ clinical trial simply because of their age,” said Drachtman, who also is a professor of pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “What is needed is improved recognition of adolescent cancers and targeted clinical trials, as well as better clinical trial access, for these patients.”
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