Meeting the Need for Psychosocial Care in Young Adults With Cancer

What do we know about the psychosocial needs of young adults with cancer? Are they different from other cancer survivors? The answers to these two questions are simply A little and Yes, a lot respectively. Young adults have traditionally fallen between the two worlds of pediatric and adult cancer. However, young adults are not children with cancer, nor are they older adults with the disease. Young adults are a unique population with developmental tasks and life experiences that are different to those in other life stages. Meeting the Need for Psychosocial Care in Young Adults With Cancer describes what is known about the psychosocial needs of young adults with cancer and addresses how healthcare professionals can help them overcome the challenges of cancer at this stage of life. It is designed to help the multidisciplinary team delivering medical, nursing, and psychosocial care for these young people provide comprehensive, evidence-based care that takes into account their unique needs and stage of life.