Teens & Young Adults with Cancer:

Did you know that adolescent and young adults with cancer between the ages of 15-39 are the:
  • Least represented group in clinical trials research?
  • Twice as likely to develop late stage cancer and be bankrupted by the cost of their treatment when they have poor insurance coverage?
  • Least likely to find cancer support resources that include people their age?
  • Most likely group to have a delayed diagnosis, sometimes taking up to 2 years or more?
  • Most likely group to be misdiagnosed?
With stats like these, it’s no wonder that cancer affects upwards of 70,000 adolescents and young adults every year, is the leading cause of disease-related death for this group, and compared to pediatric or older adults, has not seen improvements in survival since 1975!

As treatment finishes, a young adult often moves from a highly structured network of care providers and resources to an unstructured system with very little guidance or navigation tools. Those who are able to call themselves a  “survivor” often report feeling incredibly disconnected from the life they once knew or the future in which they were headed. Adolescents and young adult cancer survivors often face an incredibly steep hill as they transition back into their lives that have been so stalled and disrupted by cancer.

Many adolescent and young adult cancer survivors feel "lost in transition" as they try to re-enter important life events and opportunities that were put on hold or abandoned because of cancer. This includes everything most of us take for granted like going to high school & college, relationships, dating, participating in family events, starting new jobs & careers, getting married or starting a family, worrying if their cancer will come back, or finding out they recurred. Young adult cancer survivors experience many re-entries and transitions regardless of how long it’s been since treatment ended, and the chance of getting “lost” remains high.

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