Young Adult Cancer Information
Adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 39 are much more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than children under the age of 15. The most common types of cancer seen in adolescents and young adults are lymphoma, leukemia, germ cell tumors (including testicular cancer), melanoma, central nervous system tumors, sarcomas, and breast, cervical, liver, thyroid, and colorectal cancers.
Taken from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/aya/types
The President’s Cancer Panel reports that adolescents and young adults have been studied far less than younger and older age groups, and their healthcare and survivorship needs are poorly understood and poorly served.
Each year, more than 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. In fact, a cancer diagnosis between the ages of 15 and 40 is nearly eight times more common than such a diagnosis during the first 15 years of life.
The strides that have served to make cancer a chronic disease for many have generally bypassed young adults. Today, cancer is the leading disease killer among 20- to 39-year olds. While both younger and older patients are seeing improvements in survival rates, the rates for young adults have improved far less, and the gap is worsening. As a result of this lack of progress in survival improvement since 1975, young adults diagnosed with cancer today have a worse prognosis than those diagnosed 25 years ago.
Several clinical and social factors contribute to this lack of progress.
Taken from http://www.ulmanfund.org/Get-Informed/Young-Adults-Cancer.aspx
Adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 39 are much more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than children under the age of 15. The most common types of cancer seen in adolescents and young adults are lymphoma, leukemia, germ cell tumors (including testicular cancer), melanoma, central nervous system tumors, sarcomas, and breast, cervical, liver, thyroid, and colorectal cancers.
Taken from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/aya/types
The President’s Cancer Panel reports that adolescents and young adults have been studied far less than younger and older age groups, and their healthcare and survivorship needs are poorly understood and poorly served.
Each year, more than 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. In fact, a cancer diagnosis between the ages of 15 and 40 is nearly eight times more common than such a diagnosis during the first 15 years of life.
The strides that have served to make cancer a chronic disease for many have generally bypassed young adults. Today, cancer is the leading disease killer among 20- to 39-year olds. While both younger and older patients are seeing improvements in survival rates, the rates for young adults have improved far less, and the gap is worsening. As a result of this lack of progress in survival improvement since 1975, young adults diagnosed with cancer today have a worse prognosis than those diagnosed 25 years ago.
Several clinical and social factors contribute to this lack of progress.
- Delayed diagnosis. This is a result of a combination of factors, including low clinical suspicion among medical professionals, feelings of invincibility among young adults, and unreliable access to medical care.
- Lack of (adequate) health insurance.
- Clinical trial participation. Young adults have the lowest participation rate in clinical trials of any age group (Figure 4). In addition to contributing to medical research, participants in clinical trials gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available and are eligible to obtain expert medical care at leading healthcare facilities during the trial.
- Biological differences. Cancer in young adults often presents quite differently than in other age groups. It is suspected that the distinctive biology of this age group results in unique histological subtypes and rare hereditary tumors, in addition to the role hormonal differences may play in tumor development and biology. In addition, exposure to environmental risks, like sun and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), are particularly prevalent in this age group.
- Treatment. There remains an uncertainty about where to treat young adults—pediatric or adult units? No medical profession owns this issue, and that results in a lack of professional mentors and an official discipline. This is one of the greatest contributing factors to young adults falling through the cracks in the system. Additionally, there are no established treatment protocols for this age group and a lot of mystery still surrounds issues such as toxicity tolerance and how that impacts treatment for this population.
- Historically decentralized advocacy efforts. There are a handful of advocacy organizations that are dedicated to the cause of supporting and connecting young adults affected by cancer. However, until recently, advocacy efforts existed largely in silos and no single organization had the momentum to affect the change that is necessary.
Taken from http://www.ulmanfund.org/Get-Informed/Young-Adults-Cancer.aspx