Abstract
Purpose: Teenagers and young adults (TYAs; aged 13–24) experience prolonged intervals to cancer diagnosis. Insight into diagnostic intervals in young adults (YAs; aged 25–39) and subgroups at risk for long intervals is lacking. We investigated the diagnostic pathway of YA cancer patients, examined patient and tumor characteristics associated with its length, and compared the patient interval length of our sample with a TYA cohort. Methods: In this cross-sectional survey YAs diagnosed with cancer in the UK in the past five years completed a questionnaire describing their patient (time from first symptom to first doctor consultation) and healthcare interval (from first consultation until consultation with a cancer specialist), sociodemographic, and clinical characteristics. Associations between characteristics and interval length were examined and compared with previously published data in TYAs. Results: Among 341 YAs the patient interval lasted ≥2 weeks, ≥1 month, and ≥3 months in 60%, 42%, and 21%, respectively, compared to 48%, 27%, and 12% in the TYA group. The healthcare interval lasted ≥2 weeks, ≥1 month, and ≥3 months in 62%, 40%, and 17% of YA patients, respectively. YAs with melanoma or cervical cancer were most likely to experience long intervals, whereas YAs with breast cancer and leukemia were most likely to experience short intervals. Conclusions: Most YAs were not seen by a cancer specialist within 2 weeks of GP consultation. Interval lengths in YAs were associated with cancer diagnosis. Patient intervals were longer among YAs than among TYAs. Our study highlights long diagnostic pathways among YAs and calls for more awareness among healthcare professionals about malignancies in this age group.
Highlights
IntroductionCancer in adolescence and young adulthood (AYA), defined as patients aged 15–
To improve healthcare services for young adults (YAs), we aim to describe the diagnostic pathway of patients aged 25–39 at diagnosis, identify factors associated with a prolonged pathway, compare the time from first symptom to doctor consultation in YAs with that in Teenagers and young adults (TYAs), and describe suggestions made by YAs to improve the diagnostic pathway
We investigated the diagnostic pathway of YA cancer patients, examined patient and tumor characteristics associated with the length of the diagnostic pathway, compared the patient interval length of our sample with a TYA cohort, and reported patients’ suggestions for improving the diagnostic pathway
Summary
Cancer in adolescence and young adulthood (AYA), defined as patients aged 15–. Lymphoma, testicular cancer, and thyroid cancer are the most common cancers among 15 to 24-year-olds, while breast cancer and melanoma are most common among. AYAs describe unsatisfactory care experiences such as lack of recognition of their autonomy by healthcare providers (HCPs), lack of peer support, and inappropriate care environments [4,5]. To address these issues, the United Kingdom (UK) has rapidly expanded the availability of dedicated services for teenagers and young adults (TYA) ages 13 to 24. No age-specific care services are available for young adult (YA) cancer patients aged 25 to
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