Teens, Young Adults Missing Out on Latest Cancer Advances

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"Now that we realize that there's such a deficit, we have to make hard decisions about which clinical trials to run. Funding has been cut and that impacts how the Children's Oncology Group operates. Less protocols can be open," said Shaw.

"This is a historical problem. Some of the diseases span an 18-year range and have never been the domain of either pediatrics or adult oncology," said Dr. Richard Gorlick, division chief of pediatric hematology/oncology at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York City.

"There's not necessarily a fixed dividing line when you think of pediatric or medical [adult] oncology," said Gorlick. "There's been a blurring of the age boundary, and adolescents and young adults should be treated by a provider who has the most expertise in their particular cancer area. The rare adolescent who has colon cancer would probably be better suited to being treated by a medical oncologist. But an adolescent with sarcoma, lymphoma or leukemia may do better with a pediatric oncologist. It all depends on the diagnosis."

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Ideally, Shaw said that adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer will see both a pediatric and a medical oncologist to make sure they're getting the best treatment possible. Or, even better, he said, is to find an adolescent and young adult cancer treatment program.

More information

To gain a better understanding of the risks and benefits of clinical trials in cancer treatment, visit the Teens Living with Cancer.

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