Abstract
Specialist cancer services for teenagers and young adults in England: BRIGHTLIGHT research programme
Highlights
When cancer occurs in teenagers and young adults, the impact is far beyond the physical disease and treatment burden
Competencies associated with specialist care for teenagers and young adults were identified from a Delphi study
The teenagers and young adults Cancer Specialism Scale, was derived, allowing categorisation of patients to three groups, which were defined by the time spent in a principal treatment centre: SOME, ALL or NONE
Summary
When cancer occurs in teenagers and young adults, the impact is far beyond the physical disease and treatment burden. Outcomes including improvements in survival and participation in clinical trials are poorer than in younger children and older adults with similar cancers. These unique circumstances have driven the development of care models for teenagers and young adults with cancer, often focused on a dedicated purpose-designed patient environments supported by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in the needs of teenagers and young adults. In England, 13 specialist centres for teenagers and young adults exist, but they are all different and access varies. Professionals and patients said ‘TYA [teenage and young adult] specialist care’ is ‘better’, but it was unknown how specialist services affect outcome or how much this costs the NHS and patients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
