(Vienna, 12 April 2023) Children, adolescents and young adults who are or have been suffering from cancer are supported by the international project EU-CAYAS-NET (sub-project of the EU4Health program). MedUni Vienna is involved with the University Clinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
The project, co-financed by the EU, will run from September 2022 to August 2024. It is aimed at patients who have developed cancer as children, adolescents or young adults, at survivors of cancer and at the persons caring for them. In technical jargon one speaks of CAYA (“Children, Adolescents and Young Adults”) Cancer Survivors.
EU-CAYAS-NET is a project led by patient advocates to fight cancer. The aim is to set up a “European network for young cancer survivors” and to create an information center and an interactive platform for social exchange.
Leading organizations from 18 countries working in this field provide resources for young patients, survivors and their carers, create new European guidelines and support survivors to defend their rights and needs. EU-CAYAS-NET promotes social networking, peer support, knowledge sharing and works to improve the following areas:
- Quality of life of survivors – including mental health, education and professional support, follow-up and transition from pediatric to adult medicine,
- Care of adolescents and young adults with cancer
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) throughout the treatment phase and beyond
The network platform beatcancer.eu is an interactive platform where survivors can get answers to their questions, connect with other sufferers, and last but not least, have fun. Everyone involved with childhood and adolescent cancer is addressed – this includes not only patients, survivors and their caregivers themselves, but also stakeholders from healthcare, research and politics.
In addition to the leading organizations from 18 countries, 10 beneficiaries are also working together, with MedUni Vienna’s Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine being one of them. A special feature is that the management of the project lies with the patient organizations and therefore there is close cooperation with the health staff from all disciplines (medicine, psychology, social work, etc.). Former patients are also involved as employees in project management and implementation, which results in relevant added value from their personal experiences.
At MedUni Vienna’s Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a team of ten people is involved in different areas of the project, with a focus on mental health and psychosocial care. The team consists of healthcare professionals from the fields of clinical psychology, clinical social work, anthropology and medicine, as well as patient experts who, in addition to their professional expertise, also have their own experience of the disease. The activities include the processing of scientific literature and topic-specific materials, the implementation and evaluation of surveys and focus groups, the creation of videos and webinars as well as the joint development of new standards and concepts, always in lively exchange with the project network. The organization and participation in peer visits in Utrecht, Barcelona and Vienna are also in focus. 20 survivors from all over Europe visit best-practice models for long-term aftercare and transition to adult medicine in order to get to know them and to pass them on throughout Europe. In addition, the team at the University Clinic for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine supports the development of the project platform and is jointly responsible for the external communication of important project-related information.
Up-to-date information can be found on the project’s social media channels:
Contact: Ulrike Leiss, [email protected]
