Image: Boy before sunset, he wears a cape; Copyright: panthermedia.net / gjohnstonphoto

Topic of the Month January 2017

Children and cancer - treating sick children properly

Pediatric oncology has many successes in the treatment of children and adolescents with cancer. Much has improved thanks to research, more children reach the adult age today thanks to therapy . Nevertheless, the treatment of children is difficult because it is a very emotional issue - for the families, the affected persons and the treating physicians and carers.

Working with children with cancer – More than just a job

Image: A young girl is lying in the hospital bed, behind her a nurse is adjusting a monitor; Copyright: panthermedia.net / Monkeybusiness Images

Our topic title "pediatric (children’s) oncology" evoked strong emotional reactions from several mothers and fathers of our staff. "This hits too close to home for me, I couldn’t write about it", or "How do people manage to deal with this?". And we are only on the sidelines; physicians, caregivers and nurses at the hospital, hospice or families at home are the ones that have the real tough job.

Read the article about working with children with cancer

Children's Tumor Center: consolidated treatment under one roof

Image: Three physicians during a meeting; Copyright: KiTZ/Philipp Benjamin

Treatments for children need to be different from treatment for adults - this also applies in oncology. Having said that, children do not just need new and different treatment concepts that still necessitate research. They also require the support from their families, who need to be nearby during treatment. Accommodation, research, and application - a children’s tumor center is able to offer all three.

Read the interview with Prof. Andreas Kulozik here

"Always be honest" – How to communicate with critically ill children

Image: Boy lies in a hospitalbed and is looking up to a doctor whose hand lies on the boy's shoulder; Copyright: panthermedia.net/spotmatikphoto

When children suffer from a critical or terminal illness, the first impulse of adults is often to not tell the children and sugarcoat the situation. Yet it is just this type of behavior that frequently causes children to emotionally withdraw. Professor Dietrich Niethammer promotes honest communication with critically ill and dying children and explains why is it so important to always tell the truth – even if it seems very difficult to do.

Read the interview with Prof Dietrich Niethammer

Video

Working in pediatric hospice - not the place for sadness

Work in children's and youth hospices is both fulfilling and trying. What the employees and honorary staff have to do, how the work is organized and what the special thing in the workplace Hospice is, can be found in the video.