Although improved cancer treatments and screenings have helped children and older adults live longer over the last 30 years, teens and young adults with cancer have not experienced the same rates of survival, according to a recent CBS News article.
Since 1975, cancer survival rates for children 14 and under have increased by 25 percent, with adults over 40 seeing a nearly 20 percent gain over the same time period. Cancer patients aged 15 to 19, meanwhile, had survival rates that increased by about 17 percent while survival rates among 20 to 39 year olds increased by only about 13 percent.
To address the gap for this "forgotten population," the UCLA Medical Center launched once of the first cancer programs in the country offering patients a team of experts, including psychiatrists and social workers, who specialize in treating the needs of teens.
"What we need to do is really concentrate on this population...developing clinical trials and new therapeutics specifically for these patients," said Dr. Noah Federman, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at UCLA's Daltrey/Townshend Teen & Young Adult Cancer Program. "This becomes a home for them...that's very important to getting through this emotionally and mentally, which then helps them physically." Read the full article here:
Program to help "forgotten" teen cancer patients
This serves as a reminder that cancer does not discriminate by age. It is good to see that doctors are making sure that no part of the population is being forgotten.
If you have been injured due to medical malpractice please call to investigate your matter fully. Crandall & Pera Law is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.