Leukaemia Foundation Newsletters

The Carer - The Leukaemia Foundation's quarterly newsletter, keeping you up to date on our Vision to Cure and Mission to Care, plus all the latest news and events.

Lymphoma News
Myeloma News
Myelodysplastic Syndromes News

Articles

Identity, Image and Sexuality in Young Adults with Cancer (Tindle, Denver, Lilley, 2009) The impact of disease and treatment on a young adult's self image and sexuality has been largely overlooked. This is surprising given that establishing social and romantic relationships is a normal occurence in young adulthood. This article describes 3 female patients' cancer journeys and demonstrates how their experiences have impacted their psychosocial function and self-regard. Read more...

Helping Teenagers with Cancer to Connect (July 24, 2009) - Health practitioners often find providing support to teenagers with cancer challenging. A diagnosis of cancer for a teenager can interrupt normal activities and cause feelings of isolation, particularly as this period is generally concerned with gaining greater independence and spending increased time with peers. This week Hamish Holewa speaks with Jane Cassano about her research into the success of a teengroup for cancer patients in Canada. Read more and hear podcast...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health, June 8, 2009) - Survivors of childhood cancer face a lifelong increased risk of second primary cancers, according to a report in the June 2nd issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Read more...

Adolescent Oncology: Orphaned in the system
Marianne Phillips, 2009
Adolescents and young adults (AYA) are increasingly recognized as a specific, separate population group, deserving of specialized health care provision. Read more…

AYA Cancers: Distinct biology, different therapy
Archie Bleyer, 2009
Whereas the diagnosis of cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) used to have, as a group, a better prognosis that children with malignant disease, Read more…

Steps Forward: Towards a service delivery improvement framework for AYAs with cancer
Susan Hanson, Liam Hunt and Barbara Merz, 2009
There is mounting national and international evidence to support targeted improvements in cancer care services for AYA’s. Read more…

Psychosocial Assessment for AYA with Cancer
Michele Su-Ming Yeo and Susan Sawyer, 2009
The field of AYA oncology has grown over the last few decades, with greater recognition of the distinct medical and psychosocial needs of young people in this age group. Read more…

Improving Care for AYA Patients treated within Adult Hospitals: What can be done right now?
Susan Palmer, 2009
All too often the psychosocial and developmental needs of this population are dismissed as superficial to survive outcomes. Read more…

Palliative Care for Young People with Cancer
Rob George and Finella Craig, 2009
Young people with cancer are a small but unique group that cross adult and paediatric palliative care. The demands of symptom management are often complex, but perhaps no more so than in other age groups. Read more…

Australian Scientists' breakthrough discovery in the treatment of leukaemia
11 August 2008
Melbourne researchers are hoping to cure leukemia, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis after their breakthrough discovery of how to stop killer white blood cells growing. Work has now become into designing a drug to prevent a damaged protein from operating which will effectively stop the cancer. Read more...

World experts declare HRT safe for women in early menopause
22 May 2008
A wide review of Hormone Replacement Therapy by international experts has concluded that it is a safe treatment for women entering early menopause. Read more...

Study shows cancer survivors not engaging in physical activity
22 April 2008
Cancer is not a health wake-up call for many survivors, new research has found. A substantial number are inactive and obese, which could put them at risk of health problems, including their cancer returning. Experts have called for education to increase physical activities as well as promote better eating habits among cancer survivors. Read more...

Study shows three drinks a day ups breast cancer risk
27 September 2007
Three or more drinks a day boost a woman's risk of breast cancer as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes, US researchers say. Read more…

Young Survivors
30 July 2007
What science can learn from the first generation of kids to beat childhood cancer Read more… (pdf)

Sperm freezing for young male cancer patients
23 July 2007
A recent study proves that sperm freezing and banking is an effective way to preserve fertility in adolescents and young adult (AYA) males with cancer. Read more...

Newly Launched Program Helps Young Adults Cope
July 2007
A new Web-based Society program, Cancer Survivorship for Young Adults, was recently launched to help patients, families and healthcare professionals learn how to manage some of the issues that face this growing population. Read more…

Cancer's Orphan Generation
1 July 2007
Medical experts are zeroing in on how to increase the survival rates of teens and young adults. Read more…

Teens blast virtual cancer
5 June 2007
CIGNA Corp. said it will offer Re-Mission, which lets teens and young adults blast cancer while learning how to improve the odds of beating the disease, free of charge on its website. Read more…

Intimacy and sex: The unspoken casualties of cancer
15 February 2007
Caring for a partner with cancer may be one of the most testing and stressful experiences a person can have during their lifetime. An unspoken casualty of the cancer diagnosis can often be the loss of sex and intimacy between couples. Read more… (pdf)

Teen gap in cancer care
3 January 2007
McMaster University pediatric cancer specialist Dr. Ronald Barr says the teen gap in cancer care has been overlooked for far too long. Read more…

Peer Support Preferred by Young Cancer Survivors
14 November 2006
For adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, connecting with other cancer-afflicted peers of the same age may in some cases be more beneficial than receiving support from family and friends, according to a comprehensive survey of 15 -29 year old survivors. Read more…

Teenagers and young adults more likely to survive cancer in Australia than in the USA
4 April 2006
Countries that have national health services easily accessible to people of all ages are more likely to have better survival rates for their teenagers and young adults (TYAs) with cancer, than are countries where individuals have to pay for their own medical insurance. Read more…

This news section includes content published in media which may not necessarily represent the position of the Leukaemia Foundation Australia.

The impact of disease and treatment on a young adult’s self-image and sexuality has been largely overlooked. This is surprising given that establishing social and romantic relationships is a normal occurrence in young adulthood. This article describes three female patients’ cancer journeys and demonstrates how their experiences have impacted their psychosocial function and self-regard. Read more...