16.04.18

Jervoise Andreyev (middle) with two professors from Aarhus University Hospital: Klaus Krogh (left) and Peter Christensen (right) (photo: Anne Westh, Aarhus University Hospital). 

Jervoise Andreyev, one of the pioneers in the treatment of late effects of cancer treatment, is helping to establish a centre at Aarhus University Hospital for late effects of cancer in the pelvic organs.

More and more people survive a cancer disease, but 25% of patients will experience chronic late effects of their treatment impairing their quality of life, says the British doctor Jervoise Andreyev, who recently visited Aarhus University Hospital.

Jervoise Andreyev is one of the pioneers in the treatment of late effects of cancer in the pelvic organs. During the last 20 years, he has worked as a gastroenterologist and treated patients with such late effects, first at Marsden Royal Hospital in London and for the last year at Lincoln County Hospital in Lincoln. Moreover, he has worked closely together with the patient association Macmillan Cancer Support and the British Society of Gastroenterology on late effects of cancer treatment.

A systematic approach is necessary
Having worked with late effects of cancer for many years, he has a broad experience in the treatment of this patient group. Moreover, he has published a number of research articles on the subject.

Jervoise Andreyev concludes that a systematic approach to late effects is necessary to make improvements for patients. He suggests dividing the approach into four phases:

1. Get a general overview of the extent of the problem

2. What are the patient’s symptoms? (often a complex mix of pain, bladder emptying issues, urine incontinence, sexual dysfunction, constipation, diarrhoea and faecal incontinence)

3. What causes the symptoms? (e.g. injuries sustained as a complication to surgery, radiation therapy or chemotherapy)

4. How can the symptoms be treated? (maybe patients must have a special diet or try medical treatment).

A Danish national centre for late effects in Aarhus
Jervoise Andreyev visited Aarhus University Hospital to help establish a centre for late effects of cancer. Doctors and researchers at Aarhus University Hospital have received DKK 10 million from the Danish Cancer Society to establish a national centre for late effects of cancer in the pelvic organs over a five-year period.

This new centre will focus on improving treatment of patients with late effects. The centre will also research the causes of late effects and in this way improve future treatment.

-Denmark has a fantastic starting point for helping patients with late effects. You have national high-quality data on these patients and you have managed to gather professionals – surgeons, nurses, dietician etc., who can collaborate on creating results, says Jervoise Andreyev.