Caught in the In-Between: Challenges in Treating Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

摘要

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) comprise a unique cohort of patients of age 15-39 years; cancer diagnoses in this population account for roughly 5% of all cancer diagnoses each year.1 Concerningly, although the 5-year survival rate in the AYA population is around 80% as compared with approximately 67% among all individuals with cancer overall, the 5-year survival rate for AYAs lags behind that of the pediatric (0-19 years of age) population, whose 5-year survival rate is approximately 85%.2,3 Moreover, AYAs have not benefitted from improvements in survival seen by both the pediatric and older adult populations.2 Along with navigating the challenges inherent to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer at any age, AYAs with cancer face issues related to their developmental stage, their presentation and access to care, and their unique cancer biology. An awareness and understanding of the factors uniquely facing AYAs with cancer is paramount to optimizing the oncologic care and health outcomes of this at-risk patient population—the in-between population.