Current situation of cancer among adolescents and young adults in Japan

Background Cancer is rare among adolescents and young adults (AYA). Affected persons need generation-specific attention and care; however, no nationwide study has investigated the medical care structure for AYA cancer treatment in Japan. Methods We conducted a nationwide survey of AYA cancer for fre...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of clinical oncology 2018-12, Vol.23 (6), p.1201-1211
Main Authors: Ohara, Akira, Furui, Tatsuro, Shimizu, Chikako, Ozono, Seiichiro, Yamamoto, Kazuhito, Kawai, Akira, Tatara, Ryohei, Higuchi, Akiko, Horibe, Keizo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Breast cancer
Cancer
Cancer Research
Cancer therapies
Cervical cancer
Female
Hospitals
Humans
Japan - epidemiology
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neoplasms - epidemiology
Oncology
Original Article
Patients
Registries - statistics & numerical data
Surgical Oncology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
Young adults
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Cancer is rare among adolescents and young adults (AYA). Affected persons need generation-specific attention and care; however, no nationwide study has investigated the medical care structure for AYA cancer treatment in Japan. Methods We conducted a nationwide survey of AYA cancer for frequency of AYA patients, type of cancer, medical facilities, and certified cancer professionals. Data were collected from 14,713 patients at 218 Core Cancer Treatment Hospitals. Results The average proportion of AYA cancer patients to all cancer patients was 3.6%. The median number of patients aged 15 to 24 years per hospital was small ( n  = 5, range 1–51). The most frequent primary site of AYA cancer was the cervix uteri, but when cancer in situ was excluded, the hematopoietic malignancies were the most frequent cancer in males and females aged 15–24 years. In the age group 25–39 years, testicular and breast cancers were the most frequent cancers in males and females, respectively. Certified cancer professionals and facilities are necessary for appropriate care of AYA cancer patients, but the availability of such professionals varied greatly among hospitals. Hospitals with few AYA cancer patients were less likely to employ such physicians. Conclusions The present findings suggest that medical care for AYA cancer in Japan requires further refinement and a multidisciplinary approach.
ISSN:1341-9625
1437-7772
DOI:10.1007/s10147-018-1323-2