Introduction
Introduction to Adolescent and Young Adult Series Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer face unique challenges with regard to managing late effects as well as psychosocial adjustment and adaptation to illness. These unique challenges are, in part, due to disruptions in accomplishing normal developmental milestones caused by the physical and psychosocial demands of managing a serious illness. While AYAs comprise approximately 5% of those diagnosed with cancer, AYAs manage cancer survivorship for years to decades thus representing an important perspective with regard to the survivorship experience. This AYA-themed series aims to articulate these unique challenges by presenting research findings from several large, well-designed studies. The accompanying invited editorials place results into a broader context grounded in psychosocial oncology and provide guidance in defining priorities for future research and advocacy efforts. In addition, some of the studies presented illustrate the value of leveraging the NCI-funded National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) to study this rare, under-represented population. Lynne I. Wagner, PhD Northwestern University Chicago, Illinois DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28829
C 2014 American Cancer Society DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28829, wileyonlinelibrary.com Published online: July 21, 2014 . V
2226
Cancer
August 1, 2014
Introduction to Adolescent and Young Adult Series Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer face unique challenges with regard to managing late effects as well as psychosocial adjustment and adaptation to illness. These unique challenges are, in part, due to disruptions in accomplishing normal developmental milestones caused by the physical and psychosocial demands of managing a serious illness. While AYAs comprise approximately 5% of those diagnosed with cancer, AYAs manage cancer survivorship for years to decades thus representing an important perspective with regard to the survivorship experience. This AYA-themed series aims to articulate these unique challenges by presenting research findings from several large, well-designed studies. The accompanying invited editorials place results into a broader context grounded in psychosocial oncology and provide guidance in defining priorities for future research and advocacy efforts. In addition, some of the studies presented illustrate the value of leveraging the NCI-funded National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) to study this rare, under-represented population. Lynne I. Wagner, PhD Northwestern University Chicago, Illinois DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28829
C 2014 American Cancer Society DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28829, wileyonlinelibrary.com Published online: July 21, 2014 . V
2226
Cancer
August 1, 2014
