Abstract

One explanation for the relative lack of progress in treating cancer in adolescents and young adults is that the biology of malignant diseases in this age group is different than in younger and older persons, not only in the spectrum of cancers but also within individual cancer types and within the patient (host). Molecular, epidemiological and therapeutic outcome comparisons offer clues to this distinctiveness in most of the common cancers of adolescents and young adults. Translational and clinical research should not assume that the biology of cancers and patients is the same as in other age groups, and treatment strategies should be tailored to the differences.

Author affiliations

1. St. Charles Medical Center, 2500 NE Neff Road, Bend, Oregon 97701, USA.
2. National Childhood Cancer Foundation, 40 E Huntington Avenue, Arcadia, California 91006, USA.
3. McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4J9, Canada.
4. Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA.
5. Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, St Andrew's Place, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002, Australia.
6. Cancer Centers Branch, National Cancer Institute, Suite 700, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, Maryland 20892–8345, USA.
7. Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, Maryland 20892–7436, USA. on behalf of the Biology and Clinical Trials Subgroups of the US National Cancer Institute Progress Review Group in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology

Correspondence to: Archie Bleyer^1,2 Email: ableyer@scmc.org