WASHINGTON (April 26, 2013) – New research out of the George Washington University Cancer Institute (GWCI) focuses on the difficulties of transitioning to adulthood while dealing with the long-term and late effects of cancer and its treatment. The study was recently published in the Journal of Oncology Navigation and Survivorship, titled “Improving Cancer Survivorship for Adolescents and Adults.”

Based on information obtained at GWCI’s second Cancer Survivorship Research Symposium, the paper summarizes the discussion amongst cancer survivors, caregivers, researchers, clinicians and other healthcare professionals. The goal of the symposium was to identify key issues for survivors and strategize about optimal interventions for improving care and support.

The authors outlined five key areas of need related to health care delivery system challenges: psychosocial impacts, health maintenance needs, employment issues and community-level barriers. They explored current approaches for addressing these concerns and made recommendations about interventions that may improve survivorship care and quality of life for adolescents and young adults.

“The symposium was a great opportunity for those within the cancer community to conduct high level conversations about the real needs of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors,” said Mandi Pratt-Chapman, M.A., associate director of GWCI Community Programs and author of the study. “Our hope is that we will identify issues and come up with solutions that will address post treatment needs.”

Additional authors include Anne Willis, M.A., director of the division of cancer survivorship; Jennifer Bretsch, M.S., CPHQ, project manager of the division of cancer survivorship; and Steven Patierno, Ph.D., adjunct professor of pharmacology and physiology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

For more information or to interview an author of the study, please contact Lisa Anderson at lisama2@gwu.edu or 202-994-3121.

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About the George Washington University Cancer Institute (GWCI)

GWCI takes a comprehensive approach to a complex disease. In connection with the GW Hospital and the Medical Faculty Associates, GWCI provides for collaboration in the study, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Its mission is to ensure access to quality, patient-centered care across the cancer continuum through community engagement, patient and family empowerment, health care professional education, policy advocacy and collaborative multi-disciplinary research. More information about GWCI at: gwcancerinstitute.org.

About the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Founded in 1825, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was the first medical school in the nation’s capital and is the 11th oldest in the country. Working together in our nation’s capital, with integrity and resolve, the GW SMHS is committed to improving the health and well-being of our local, national and global communities. smhs.gwu.edu.