Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) comprise a significant population of patients receiving cancer treatment at Seattle Children’s. About a fourth of the patients treated in our inpatient unit are age 15 and older. Research shows that, for certain kinds of cancer, AYAs have dramatic improvements in long-term survival when they are treated on pediatric treatment protocols at a pediatric hospital.
When the new building opens in 2013, the cancer program will move into a larger 48-bed unit on the upper two floors. The top floor of the building will be a dedicated floor for AYAs. No other hospital in the United States currently offers a dedicated inpatient unit of this size for the care of AYAs with cancer. The new facility will advance the delivery of age-appropriate cancer care, provide a setting for new and groundbreaking social programming, and greatly facilitate research aimed at improving psychosocial outcomes for this patient population.
For more information about the making of this video and about the AYA program visit our On the Pulse blog.