Work to help young cancer patients

Wednesday 14th December 2011

Many teenagers and young adults with a rare cancer are potentially missing out on vital treatment due to a lack of understanding of cancer in the age group, but new research may change this and help save lives.

Germ Cell Tumours (GCTs) usually affect the testes and ovaries, or gonads, as they are collectively referred to.

But GCTs in this age group are often overlooked as medical teams focus more on children, older adults or specifically men or women, which means treatment for adolescents is poorly understood and often undertaken on wards that aren't tailored to young patients' needs.

The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust (LCYCT) has pledged to raise funds into research to help establish the best form of treatment for young adults with GCTs.

It is being led by a team in Huddersfield and Leeds on behalf of the National Cancer Research Institute Testis Clinical Studies Group (CSG), the Gynaecological CSG and the Teenage and Young People CSG, and also involves collaborations with laboratories and clinical teams from across the UK, as well as centres and specialists in Europe and USA.

Dr Johnathan Joffe, consultant medical oncologist at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, is part of the team co-ordinating the research.

He said: "The research will, for the first time, explain why these tumours behave differently in different age groups and will demonstrate the optimal way to treat and cure more patients with these cancers. It will also hopefully put an end to the separate approaches currently being used by cancer teams."

For National Youth Against Cancer Week, which concludes on December 18, the LCYCT is running its campaign "Gonads! It's not just b#*?@cks... it's a serious message" and is encouraging men to make sure they regularly check themselves for testicular cancer. They also want women to be aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Pam Thornes, trust manager at LCYCT, said: "We don't fully understand how age affects gonad cancer so this research will help ensure that young people with GCTs get the best treatment."

For more information on testicular and ovarian cancer visit www.lauracranetrust.org.

Source: http://www.mediatrust.org/newswirefeed/health-research-1412-health-research/

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