Approximately 43,000 men and women were diagnosed with leukemia in the United States in 2009. The disease is unique in that it is common in both pediatric (<15) cancer patients and in older adult (>60) cancer patients. Of those diagnosed with leukemia, approximately 2600, or six percent, were diagnosed as adolescents or young adults (AYAs). Although there have been vast improvements in survival rates especially for pediatric leukemia, AYAs have not seen these same advancements. AYAs are often caught in the gap between pediatrics and adult cancers and different outcomes were seen in comparing treatments based on pediatric protocols versus adult protocols. Overall, adolescents treated on more aggressive pediatric protocols had improved overall and event-free survival.
Source: Advani A, Hunger S, Burnett A, Acute Leukemia in Adolescents and Young Adults. Semin Oncol. 2009; 36:213-226.
Adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia have a better outcome when treated with pediatric-inspired regimens: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Am J Hematol. 2012 Feb 8;
Authors: Ram R, Wolach O, Vidal L, Gafter-Gvili A, Shpilberg O, Raanani P
Abstract
Survival of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is inferior to that of pediatric patients. Strategies to improve the outcome of adult population are warranted. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy...
Outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for adolescent and young adults compared to children and older adults with acute myeloid leukemia.
Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2011 Oct 28;
Authors: Majhail NS, Brazauskas R, Hassebroek A, Bredeson CN, Hahn T, Hale GA, Horowitz MM, Lazarus HM, Maziarz RT, Wood WA, Parsons SK, Joffe S, Douglas Rizzo J, Lee SJ, Hayes-Lattin BM
Abstract
PURPOSE: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer have not experienced improvements in...
Clinical Trial Participation and Time to Treatment Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer: Does Age at Diagnosis or Insurance Make a Difference?
J Clin Oncol. 2011 Sep 19;
Authors: Parsons HM, Harlan LC, Seibel NL, Stevens JL, Keegan TH
Abstract
PURPOSEBecause adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer have experienced variable improvement in survival over the past two decades, enhancing the quality and timeliness of cancer care in this population has emerged as a...
Optimal therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adolescents and young adults.
Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2011;8(7):417-24
Authors: Schafer ES, Hunger SP,
Although the survival rate for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has steadily improved over the past several decades, it still lags behind that of younger children. This Review explores the reasons for this discrepancy and potential solutions, focusing on patients aged 15-22 years. Recent studies that compared...
Leukemia mortality trends among children, adolescents, and young adults in Latin America.
Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2011 Feb;29(2):96-102
Authors: Curado MP, Pontes T, Guerra-Yi ME, Cancela Mde C
To describe and compare trends in leukemia mortality among children (0-14 years of age) and adolescents and young adults (AYA, 15-24 years of age) in 12 countries in Latin America during 1980-2004.
PMID: 21437366 [PubMed - in process]
Unique characteristics of adolescent and young adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia, breast cancer, and colon cancer.
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011 Apr 20;103(8):628-35
Authors: Tricoli JV, Seibel NL, Blair DG, Albritton K, Hayes-Lattin B
Each year in the United States, nearly 70 000 individuals between the ages of 15 and 40 years are diagnosed with cancer. Although overall cancer survival rates among pediatric and older adult patients have increased in recent decades, there has been little improvement in...
Malignant hematologic diseases in adolescents and young adults.
Blood. 2011 Jun 2;117(22):5803-15
Authors: Wood WA, Lee SJ
Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer have been designated as a vulnerable population by the National Cancer Institute. This group, defined by the ages of 16-39 years, has not enjoyed the same survival improvements over the past several decades as older and younger cohorts. Several barriers prevent the optimal delivery of oncologic care in this subpopulation. This...
Recruitment and follow-up of adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: the AYA HOPE Study.
J Cancer Surviv. 2011 Jan 28;
Authors: Harlan LC, Lynch CF, Keegan TH, Hamilton AS, Wu XC, Kato I, West MM, Cress RD, Schwartz SM, Smith AW, Deapen D, Stringer SM, Potosky AL,
INTRODUCTION: Cancer is rare in adolescents and young adults (AYA), but these patients have seen little improvement in survival in contrast to most other age groups. Furthermore, participation in research by AYAs is typically low. We...
Clinical and molecular features of papillary thyroid cancer in adolescents and young adults.
Cancer. 2011 Jan 15;117(2):259-67
Authors: Vriens MR, Moses W, Weng J, Peng M, Griffin A, Bleyer A, Pollock BH, Indelicato DJ, Hwang J, Kebebew E
Age disparities in thyroid cancer incidence and outcome among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with thyroid cancer are under reported. In this study, the authors compared the molecular and clinical features of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in AYAs with the...
Review of adherence-related issues in adolescents and young adults with cancer.
J Clin Oncol. 2010 Nov 10;28(32):4800-9
Authors: Butow P, Palmer S, Pai A, Goodenough B, Luckett T, King M
This review aims to provide a broad overview of the issues and clinical challenges of nonadherence in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. Nonadherence can reduce treatment efficacy, which places the patient at higher risk of relapse, adverse effects, and poor outcomes.
PMID: 20212260 [...
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adolescents and young adults.
Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2009 Oct;23(5):1033-42, vi
Authors: Ribera JM, Oriol A
Today, long-term survival is achieved in more than 80% of children 1 to 10 years old with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, cure rates for adults and adolescents and young adults (AYA) with ALL remain relatively low, at only 40% to 50%. Age is a continuous prognostic variable in ALL, with no single age at which prognosis deteriorates markedly....
Challenges in the recruitment of adolescents and young adults to cancer clinical trials.
Cancer. 2007 Dec 1;110(11):2385-93
Authors: Burke ME, Albritton K, Marina N
The adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology population has seen inferior progress in cancer survival compared with younger children and older adults over the past 25 years. Previously, AYAs had the best survival rates due to the prevalence of highly curable diseases including Hodgkin lymphoma and germ cell tumors, yet today AYAs have...
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