Modern Computer Technologies Facilitate Communication with a Young Cancer Patient

Aim

The aim of this paper is to show how new technologies may help the communication process in clinical practice in a department providing supportive care to patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Method

Communication via Internet chat between the psychologist and a young man who sees chatting on the Internet as a natural and familiar mode of expression was shown to be useful.

Results

The Internet link enabled us to open a communication channel with the patient and to have a conversation that would otherwise have been impossible.

Conclusions

Although verbal communication is the most important way to communicate among people, Internet communications are certainly an opportunity worth exploring, because they may open up new channels for cancer patients whose ability to speak is restricted. We might imagine using this approach in pediatric oncology, with adolescents and preadolescents, and with young adults like the patient discussed here. The case discussed highlights the enormous difference between the mere transfer of information and genuine communication, the latter involving an encounter with the patient.

The Youth Project at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan

The paper describes the key issues of the Youth Project launched in 2011 at the pediatric oncology unit of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan dedicated to adolescents (over 15 years old) and young adults (up to 25 years old) with solid tumors. The Youth Project was developed within the pediatric oncology unit in the conviction that adolescent patients may benefit from the multidisciplinary team typical of the pediatric oncology setting, as well as the expertise in treating pediatric-type malignancies and enrolling patients in clinical trials. The project was an offshoot of existing activities, making no major changes to the hospital's organization and posing no major demands on the institution's administration and board. Patients are managed by the pediatric oncology staff, but they have access to particular services (e.g., regarding their psychosocial support, fertility preserving measures, access to care after completing therapy); dedicated, adequately equipped multifunctional rooms have been provided. The location of the pediatric unit within a cancer referral center and the cooperation with divisions dedicated to adults have played an important role in the project's creation.

[Secondary cancers: Incidence, risk factors and recommendations]

Cure rates for most childhood cancers and adolescents have made remarkable progress over the last thirty to forty years. The development of secondary malignancies has become an important question for these patients. The frequency is low, but the risk is significantly higher (between 3 and 10 times) and it is the leading cause of long-term mortality off relapse. In this literature review, we discuss the epidemiological aspect and the risk factors contributing to this increased risk, and conclude with a summary of current recommendations for screening and surveillance. We also discuss briefly the constitutional predisposing genetic contributions to other cancers.