Adolescent and young adult oncology

rdf:langString Adolescent and young adult oncology

rdf:langString Adolescent and young adult oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients aged 16–40. Studies have continuously shown that while pediatric cancer survival rates have gone up, the survival rate for adolescents and young adults has remained stagnant. While many clinical trials exist for adults with cancer and children with cancer, AYAs underutilize clinical trials. Most pediatric clinical trials serve patients up to age 21. Additionally, AYAs face problems that adults and children rarely see including college concerns, fertility, and sense of aloneness. Studies have often shown that treating young adults with the same protocols used in pediatrics is more effective than adult oriented treatments. In countries like the US and the UK, specialized AYA units have started to be built in children's and adult hospitals to cater to the need of these age groups. AYA wards are designed to be bright and welcoming with many games and televisions to keep patients busy. The need for these spaces come from the findings that AYAs tend to prefer pediatric wards over adult wards, but do not like to be treated like children. AYA teams are usually made up of specialists that specialize in both pediatric and adult medicine due to the fact that people under 21 tend to do better under pediatric care.