In addition to improving health and wellbeing outcomes, this research will be critically important in informing policymaking through evidence-based, informed decision-making.
"By not understanding how young survivors are doing as they age, we are missing opportunities to provide vital health screening, early intervention and more tailored support services,” said Mr Orchard
“If we can secure Federal Government funding, this youth cancer survivorship research will be the most comprehensive study of its kind, helping us to identify where strategic investment in services can significantly improve health and wellbeing outcomes as well as reduce costs to the Australian economy”.
Dr Rick Walker, Medical Director of the Queensland Youth Cancer Service is keen for this research to shine a light on the importance of early intervention in post-acute care.
“We are hoping to not just have young people live beyond their cancer diagnosis, but to live well beyond their cancer diagnosis. In order to achieve this, we need to have a proactive rather than reactive approach to avoid the possibility that future health issues and challenges could be missed or picked up too late, which can result in a poor outcome for the young person,” said Dr Walker.
Canteen Ambassador, gold-medal winning Paralympian and leukaemia survivor Chris Bond hopes that sharing his experience and those of Australia’s 30,000 young cancer survivors will help secure this much-needed funding for future generations who are diagnosed with cancer at this formative stage of their lives.
“While I feel incredibly fortunate that I was able to access the support and care I needed to help me regain some normality in my life, I know that there are many others who still struggle to maintain a decent standard of health and wellbeing after being diagnosed with cancer as a young person. We hope the Government recognises the importance of this study in identifying the gaps in our systems and that our experiences can help future generations in their times of need,” said Mr Bond.
Canteen's call comes as the organisation launches the inaugural Youth Cancer Awareness Month and in the lead up to the Federal Election.
“This is such an important issue as highlighted by the international research, we are confident Canteen will get the support of the incoming government, and we will be approaching them at the first possible opportunity to gain their commitment to funding this critical research,” said Mr Orchard.
“While the Federal Government has worked closely with Canteen to fund the Youth Cancer Services over the past 16 years which provide gold-standard care for adolescent and young adult cancer patients, the critical next step is to ensure that young people surviving cancer aren’t left traumatised and dealing with other health or financial problems as result of their treatment,” he added.
Canteen is also calling on Australians during Youth Cancer Awareness Month to sign a petition urging the Federal Government to fund this critical research. In addition, the charity is inviting young cancer patients and survivors to share their experiences through the Fund our Future initiative, which will be delivered to Members of Parliament after the Federal Election.
