Annual Report 2024

Life Support Center

Tatsuya Onishi, Toru Mukohara, Miki Kondo, Hiroshi Tabe, Takuya Higashino, Asao Ogawa, Masaki Nakamura, Ako Hosono, Yongmei Guo, Saori Mishima, Natsumi Oda, Masato Yonemura, Ken Kuwata, Hatoe Sakamoto, Motoki Tanaka, Tsukasa Ito, Katsunori Sato, Kaho Fujisawa, Chizuru Takemori

Introduction

 The LIFE Support Center provides comprehensive assistance for cancer patients and their families, ensuring that they receive coordinated services not only from the primary department but also from relevant clinical departments across the hospital. The Center's mission is to support fertility preservation, young and AYA cancer patients, appearance-related counseling, genetic counseling, rehabilitation, and LGBTQ initiatives.

Routine Activities

1) Fertility Counseling and Preservation

 An in-hospital workflow for fertility preservation was established, and collaboration with external reproductive facilities was continued. In FY2024, 160 fertility preservation consultations were provided, with 42 referrals to reproductive institutions (16 males, 26 females).

2) Support for Pediatric and AYA Patients

 The AYA Nursing Outpatient Clinic was established to assess patients' needs through interviews and questionnaires, followed by multidisciplinary conferences. In February 2024, an AYA Café was launched to promote peer support. The CLIMB program was also implemented for children of cancer patients.

3) Appearance and Social Support

 Consultations regarding treatment-related side effects and rehabilitation (including lymphedema) were conducted, and feedback was integrated into clinical practice.

4) Genetic Counseling

 Risk-reducing surgeries for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC) were performed in cooperation with the departments of Breast Surgery and Gynecology.

5) LGBTQ Initiatives

 The in-hospital LGBTQ Working Group reviewed issues and organized study sessions with invited external experts. Educational materials were made available to all staff through the internal learning management system.

Research Activities

• Established and operated a fertility consultation workflow and continued reproductive outpatient services.
• Continued HBOC surveillance and risk-reducing surgery.
• Conducted hospital-wide educational seminars on LGBTQ issues to enhance awareness.

Education

 Provided institutional LGBTQ seminars accessible to all staff members through the e-learning system.

Future Prospects

 The LIFE Support Center will continue to focus on comprehensive support for all cancer patients regardless of gender. Priority areas include fertility counseling, AYA patient support, appearance consultation, outpatient lymphedema treatment, and LGBTQ initiatives.