Loading Curie Briefs...
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
After decades of lagging behind, adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are now outpacing other age groups in survival improvements. A new study found that from 2000 to 2017, AYAs showed the greatest annual improvement in 5-year relative survival rates compared to both younger and older patients. Researchers credit national efforts by NCI-funded cooperative groups for much of this progress.
For years, adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer were the forgotten middle child of oncology — improving more slowly than both pediatric and older adult patients. But a new study published in JCO Oncology Practice shows that's changed in a big way. Analyzing data from over 3.3 million cancer patients across eight U.S. SEER regions between 1975 and 2017, researchers found that AYAs (ages 15–39) have led all age groups in survival improvement since the late 1990s.
The turnaround is largely credited to formal recognition of AYA oncology as a distinct discipline by the National Cancer Institute in 2006, along with targeted research and clinical trial efforts. Notably, the gains haven't come at the cost of treatment-related deaths — there's been no uptick in therapy-related toxicities or second malignancies.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: This study signals that dedicated, age-specific oncology programs work. The AYA population — long underrepresented in clinical trials — is now benefiting from focused national investment, offering a roadmap for closing survival gaps in other underserved cancer populations.
