University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Child and adolescent Psycho-oncology: current state and future prospects

The main aim of the Symposium “Child and adolescent psycho-oncology: current state and future prospects” is the psychosocial care of children and adolescents with cancer, their families and the oncology team. The peculiarities of childhood mean that cancer treatment is different to that in adults. The medical treatment is different. The necessary care also tends to differ. Due to their early age they are still very closely connected with their parents, with their family. Their needs as patients are also very different. The psychological intervention will have to take into account that they are individuals that are in permanent development. For this reason they require different psychodiagnosis and psychotherapeutic orientation methods. Due to the fact that the key moments, in the disease process, are the diagnosis, treatment and remission, there is a psychological intervention throughout all of these phases. This is why it is necessary to develop multidisciplinary programs that help develop coping strategies to help overcome the stress from the illness´ psychosocial consequences.

Invited Professor of the Clinical Psychology Department in the Psychology Institute of the University of São Paulo, Senior Researcher of the FAPESP - São Paulo Research Foundation, Associate Professor in the College of the Americas – Inter-American Organization for Higher Education, Coordinator of the Social and Community Medicine Unit of the CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research in the Medicine Faculty of the University of Porto. Person in charge of the Education, Gender and Health Professorship, and the academic-scientific coordinator of the Master in Gender(s), Diversity, Sexual and Reproductive Health in the College of the Americas (COLAM-OUI).  Director of the Iberoamerican Observatory of Health and Citizenship (http://www.iohc-pt.org/) and of the Iberoamerican Journal of health and Citizenship ISSN 2182-4185.