UNMC oncologist chairs panel that develops new guidelines to help guide adolescents, young adults through cancer
A University of Nebraska Medical Center pediatric oncologist, Peter Coccia, M.D., served as chairman of a national panel that developed patient guidelines to help guide adolescents and young adults with cancer through diagnosis, treatment and after therapy.
These guidelines answer patients and their family’s most common questions related to how to prepare for treatment, what to ask the doctor, and explain the most common medical terms.
“The adolescent and young adult (AYA) group includes individuals between the ages of 15 to 39 and represents a challenging age group for onocologists to treat successfully,” Dr. Coccia said.
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Journal for Clinicians notes that remarkable progress has been made in the treatment of children under the age of 15 and in adults over 40 years of age in the last 35 years, but there has been minimal improvement in the survival rate in the 70,000 new AYA patients with invasive cancer diagnosed yearly.
The guidelines were developed through the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. The UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center is a charter member of the NCCN.
The NCCN Guidelines are developed and updated through an evidence-based process in which the expert panel integrates comprehensive clinical and scientific data with the judgment of the multidisciplinary panel members and other experts drawn from NCCN member institutions. Access to the NCCN Guidelines for Patients or any of the NCCN Guidelines is available free of charge at NCCN.com.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
The NCCN member institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.
About the University of Nebraska Medical Center
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.