Healthcare providers share insights about GENAYA for young adult cancer patients 

In a series of short videos, our specialists share their insights on the GENAYA project. They explain what GENAYA is, how it works in practice, and why they chose to participate. They also discuss how patients respond to participation and how the project can be effectively integrated into regional hospitals. Discover in this article what GENAYA means for healthcare providers and patients alike. 

The Patient of Today 

Medical oncologist Rhodé Bijlsma from UMC Utrecht explains why GENAYA is important for cancer patients aged 18-39. She also shares how she and her colleagues at UMC Utrecht are doing their best to get as many patients as possible to participate in the project. Not only can patients be referred by their medical oncologist, but also by their surgeon, gynaecologist, pulmonologist, or neurologist. 

The Patient of Tomorrow 

Winette van der Graaf, medical oncologist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, explains why GENAYA is so important for future patients: “It’s incredibly important to gather more data from young patients because most of the knowledge we have about cancer has been primarily gathered from older patients. We believe that younger patients might have genetically different tumors.” She emphasizes that we can only make progress if we conduct thorough research, not just here, but worldwide. 

The Patient in the Regional Hospital 

Nurse Specialist Wies Tönis and medical oncologist Annelieke Willems talk about the care for young cancer patients at Tergooi MC. The GENAYA project plays an important role in this. Tergooi MC collaborates with all the hospitals in the region, maintaining close connections with each other. This allows them to easily consult with colleagues to find the best treatment for the patient, whether at Tergooi or elsewhere. Wies Tönis discusses the support provided to AYA (Adolescents and Young Adults) patients and how participation in GENAYA works in practice. 

Want to know more? 

• Watch all videos (in Dutch) 

• GENAYA-project 

You read an article in the category Personalized treatment. You may also be interested in GENAYA project, Hartwig Medical Database, Hartwig Medical Foundation, Innovation, Learning healthcare system, Molecular diagnostics, OncoAct, Participating hospitals, Re-use data, Research or Whole genome sequencing.
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