Annual Report 2020
Ladies Center
Tetsuo Akimoto, Toru Mukohara, Tatsuya Ohnishi, Hirosi Tababe, Masaki Nakamura, Kenichi Harano, Ako Hosono, Takeshi Kuwata, Junya Ueno, Miki Kondo, Hatoko Sakamoto, Masato Yonemura, Ikuko Chiba
Introduction
In addition to the clinical departments that provide surgery, chemotherapy/hormone therapy, radiotherapy and their supportive care, the Ladies Center has established various sections to facilitate an understanding by patients of the therapeutic strategies available for female cancer patients and to determine the characteristics and unique problems of these patients, as well as to promote organized cooperation among the relevant clinical departments and professionals in multiple fields. The following services are provided in regular medical care under health insurance, and a system that allows these services to be provided to female cancer patients in a structured manner has been established.
1) Fertility counseling/management
2) Support for young female cancer patients including children and adolescent and young adult (AYA) generation
3) Social support and appearance counseling/support
4) Genetic counseling
5) Counseling/evaluation on the necessity of rehabilitation, including lymphedema, and management
6) Counseling on adverse reactions to chemotherapy/hormone therapy and other treatments
The Team and What We Do
The Ladies Center is staffed by medical personnel and individuals who manage female cancer patients in the female nursing outpatient clinic to help patients understand their disease, to understand the background characteristics and problems of individual patients through interviews and questionnaires, and to evaluate the necessity for counseling and support in cooperation with relevant clinical departments. Between April 2019 and March 2020, the center handled 2174 inquiries, including 471 cases of counseling on life, 1217 cases of counseling specific to female-related problems, 592 cases of counseling on symptoms associated with treatment, 1886 cases of counseling on treatment, and 281 other cases. In addition, since medical staff with different specialties are required to handle the medical and social issues of each case, regular multidisciplinary conferences attended by the staff in charge of each section and the medical staff in charge of the female nursing outpatient clinic are held twice a month to strengthen cooperation among the sections. In the conferences, management and cooperation are discussed, and feedback is given for better clinical management. Furthermore, a salon named “Kashiwanoha salon - to support your personality” was newly established at the National Cancer Center Hospital East when the Ladies Center was opened. In the salon, make-up classes, skin and nail care classes, classes for education on anticancer drugs, peer supporters’ salon, and other activities are conducted.
Research activities
1. In-hospital fertility counseling program and management flow was created and a system for managing fertility preservation in cancer patients and their families was developed. In addition, a lecture on fertility preservation was held.
2. A system for performing risk-reducing surgery for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC) was developed and risk-reducing surgery for patients with breast cancer or ovarian cancer was started.
Education
An educational program for medical professionals who support cancer patients in the AYA generation was developed, which began operation in fiscal year 2019, and the education program is continuing in 2020.
Future Prospects
The Ladies Center was opened in September 2018. In the future, it is planned to further promote the activities of the sections and improve the management of female cancer patients inside and outside the hospital.