2023-11-13 16:43:00
Elien was 15 when he was diagnosed with cancer. In addition to having to face the illness, she harbors concerns regarding her fertility and wonders how she will one day have to explain “a hole in the CV” during a job interview.
Faced with a cancer diagnosis, “existential questions arise” when you are no longer a child but not yet an adult, summarizes the Federal Minister of Health, Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit). Questions regarding identity, body image, romantic relationships and sexuality, regarding studies or entering professional life…
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The problem is that care as it is currently organized offers too few answers to these adolescent and young adult patients – these “AYAs” as they are called – often faced with specific medical problems and difficulties. psychosocial questions. Elien, for example, had two options for following his treatment. Go to pediatrics with children. Or in a traditional oncology department, with adults sometimes much older than her.
It is to meet these specific needs that Inami (health insurance) gave its agreement, Monday morning, to the financing of AJA teams within six reference hospitals (Liège University Hospital, Institut Jules Bordet, Saint -Luc in Brussels, UZ Leuven, UZ Gent and UZ Antwerpen) from December 1st. A start-up budget of 600,000 euros is released for this purpose, then 1.2 million euros on an annual basis from January 1, 2024, the date on which the AJA teams must be operational.
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Teams made up of psychologists, specialized nurses, sexologists, etc.
“These AJA teams are multidisciplinary teams which will include at least four specialties”, detailed Minister Vandenbroucke on Monday followingnoon. There will be a specialist doctor, a specialist nurse, a social worker and a psychologist. If necessary, they can call a physiotherapist, a sexologist, a dietician, a palliative care provider, etc. for support.
The AJA teams will have five priority missions: early diagnosis, which is still insufficient for the moment in adolescents and young adults; early referral to reproductive medicine to treat fertility problems; early genetic testing because some cancers are hereditary; clinical studies; and psychosocial support.
In Belgium, around 1700 cancer diagnoses are made each year among young people between 16 and 35 years old.
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