Would you like to be a part of bringing the best possible treatment and care to young adults with cancer? Then we need your help! Please ask your doctor to participate in a short survey from the LIVESTRONG® Young Adult Alliance to assess how oncology services are currently delivered to, or planned for, adolescent and young adult cancer patients. Please share this link or print out the survey and give it to your doctor. Together we can make a difference for young adults with cancer! http://www.livestrong.org/yasurvey

Young adults with cancer between their teens and early 40's face unique concerns such as fertility, body image, cognitive function, long-term effects, education, insurance and employment. Young adults with cancer deal with distinctly different issues based on developmental life cycles of their age group, still aspiring to actualize their goals and dreams which many older cancer patients have already achieved. Young adult cancers may also have different biological factors that are now being studied so better treatments can be developed. Cancer centers are establishing young adult cancer programs and young adult oncology is becoming a specialized area of clinical focus.

Peer support for young adults facing cancer and serious illness is often weak and can lead to feelings of isolation. While healthy friends are off living their lives, a cancer diagnosis challenges the natural progression of maturity. College students may find themselves unable to keep up academically, some may lose their sense of independence by having to move home with their parents, and dating and relationships present new challenges. There are additional problems for young adults that are married with small children of their own. Unfortunately, many young adults have no health insurance and are often delayed in their diagnosis, or sometimes not taken seriously as potential cancer patients.

When Vital Options was founded in 1983 it was the first and only support and advocacy organization for young adults with cancer. Today though, there is a large movement on behalf of this age group providing myriad of services, programs, and networking opportunities conveniently linked on the right side of this page.

In April 2003, Vital Options launched National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week®, and organizations and clinical institutions throughout North America partner to raise awareness about the unique needs of this age group. For more information about young adult support resources, click here.

In 2006 The National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the LIVESTRONG™ Young Adult Alliance, has developed the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (AYAO) Progress Review Group (PRG). It is the first public-private partnership of its kind and is composed of prominent members of the scientific, medical and advocacy communities. Its purpose is to establish a national agenda for adolescent/young adult oncology.

XM Satellite Radio supports National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week

High-quality support resources for young adults are included in the Young Adults Links on the right side of this page. Links to other associations and treatment centers are below.

Professional Societies & Clinical Centers with Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Programs:

American Association for Cancer Research The American Cancer Society American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) Association of Oncology Social Work Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers (APOSW) Cancer Institute of New Jersey Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital of Orange County Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Children's Oncology Group (COG) Columbia University Medical Center Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Froedtert Hospital/Medical College of Wisconsin H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute Institute of Medicine, National Cancer Policy Forum McGill University Health Care M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Medical College of Wisconsin - Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center National Cancer Institute - Office of Liaison Activities Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute Oncology Nursing Society People Living with Cancer Peter McCallum Cancer Centre Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute University of California, Irvine - Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Kansas Cancer Center Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

		If you are a woman between the ages of 18 to 40 diagnosed with breast cancer within the past two years, the National Institutes of Health and Northwestern University would like your help. The Department of Sociology at Northwestern University is conducting a study to help identify how women diagnosed with breast cancer make treatment and fertility decisions, the role of healthcare providers in these decisions, and the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on family and future plans. This research in part will be used to help educate doctors regarding women's concerns about their ability to have children and their experiences with cancer diagnosis and treatment more generally. The results will be used for scholarly publications and educational materials regarding cancer treatment. Your name and any identifying information will remain confidential and will not used in any publications. To learn more about the study or to participate, please contact Karrie Snyder at (847) 467-0517 or karrie-snyder@northwestern.edu.

		The SAMFund for Young Adult Survivors of Cancer is now accepting applications for grants and scholarships. Applicants must be between 17 and 35, finished with treatment and residents of the U.S. We cover a wide range of needs, including (but not limited to) rent, tuition and loans, health and car insurance, gym memberships and current and residual medical bills. For more information, visit The SAMFund website: click here

Listen to previous broadcasts:

		Young Adults with Cancer Webcast On Sunday, April 4, 2004, The Group Room® aired this special broadcast on young adults with cancer. The broadcast was produced in association with OncoLink, the award winning cancer information resource on the World Wide Web from the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania and with the University of California, Irvine. Click here to view with Real Player >>

		Hosted by award-winning concert pianist/composer, patient advocate and young adult survivor of pediatric brain cancer, Matthew Zachary, this irreverent—and FREE—program is poking a stick at cancer to unify a fragmented and oft-forgotten community by making it hip to be a survivor and talk about cancer. See Matthew on Lifetime TV's Side Order of Life! Click here for more information...

		WAITINGROOM is the first national magazine to address the unique needs of young adults impacted by cancer. With bold, provocative content, and featuring cutting edge design and photography, WAITINGROOM challenges stereotypes and taboos and influences the way our readers understand and experience cancer.

			For more information for young adults with cancer, read this excerpt from the pages of Cancer Talk Voices of Hope and Endurance from "The Group Room", the World's Largest Cancer Support Group, by Selma R. Schimmel. MORE  >>

For media coverage of Vital Options: Support For Young Adults With Cancer, visit our news archive.