Open AccessReview
Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Survivorship Practices: An Overview
by
1,2
, 2,3
, 1,2
, 4 and 1,2,5,6,*
1
Department of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2
Department of Medical Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute—Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3
Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
4
Dutch AYA Care Network, 3511 DT Utrecht, The Netherlands
5
Department of Surgical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands
6
Division of Clinical Studies, Institute of Cancer Research, London SM2 5NG, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Charles L. Shapiro
Received: 10 August 2021
/
Revised: 25 September 2021
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Accepted: 25 September 2021
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Published: 28 September 2021
Simple Summary
Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients, those who are diagnosed with cancer for the first time at the age of 15–39 years, are recognized as a distinct population within the oncology community due to the unique challenges they face throughout their disease trajectory. The number of AYAs who develop cancer per year has increased over the last decades, and >80% is expected to survive beyond 5 years. However, this rapidly growing AYA cancer survivor population is also at increased risk of cancer- and treatment-related long-term and late effects. There is a need for research efforts to inform the survivorship care of this unique population. The aims of this overview paper are to describe the epidemiology of the AYA cancer survivor population, the current knowledge on long-term and late effects, challenges and models of AYA survivorship care, and future opportunities within research as well as healthcare.