Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer

April 2012 marks the beginning of the Partnership’s second five-year mandate and the next phase of implementing Canada’s national cancer strategy. The priorities and initiatives for the next five years are outlined in our 2012-2017 strategic plan, Sustaining Action Toward a Shared Vision. Our website will soon be updated to reflect the activities supporting the strategic plan. The information below reflects the priorities and accomplishments of our work between 2007 and 2012. 

Every year in Canada, 2,000 people between the ages of 15 and 29 are diagnosed with cancer and approximately 320 die of the disease¹. This age group has seen fewer improvements in five-year survival rates than children and older adult cancer patients. Research also indicates that this population is underserved on many levels, including clinical treatment, psychosocial support and care, and survivorship.

The Partnership is supporting pioneering work to investigate and increase awareness of the issues facing this population. Based on this work, we can steer the system to provide better, more equitable treatment and care.

Progress to date

Two initiatives are underway to create a system that better responds to the needs of adolescent and young adult people facing cancer.

• Funding from the Partnership and C-17, a network of pediatric centres across Canada, supported the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Task Force in the second year of its four-year investigation. The task force is evaluating care, assessing how survivors are monitored over time and establishing guidelines and recommendations to improve outcomes and quality of life. Task force members are survivors, researchers, and pediatric and adult healthcare providers, including psychologists, social workers, nurses and doctors.

• In March 2010, an international workshop hosted by the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Task Force convened more than 100 delegates to examine the unique challenges facing adolescent and young adult patients and survivors, and to develop recommendations for research priorities.

¹ Canadian Cancer Society/National Cancer Institute of Canada. Canadian

Cancer Statistics, 2009. Toronto: Canadian Cancer Society, 2009. pp. 76, 78.