Use of paediatric versus adult oncology treatment centres by adolescents 15–19 years old: the Canadian Childhood Cancer Surveillance and Control Program

Canadian adolescents and young adults with cancer: opportunity to improve coordination and level of care

“…A report by the Canadian Childhood Cancer Surveillance and Control Program found that adolescents aged 15 to 19 years were more likely than children to have a delayed cancer diagnosis. 26 Furthermore, the delay was more prominent among adolescents referred to adult cancer centres than among those referred to children's hospitals.…”

“…It also offers the supportive care expertise intrinsic to the clinical trial environment. 36 It is estimated that only 10% to 20% of Canadian adolescents with cancer participate in clinical trials 26 whereas nearly 60% of children in the United States do so. 35 This lack of participation in clinical trials has been attributed to a variety of factors.…”

“…3 However, the majority of older Canadian adolescents currently do not benefit from this strategy because they are treated in adult facilities. 26 According to data from the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario and the Ontario Cancer Registry for the period 1997-2001, only 32% of cancer patients 15 to 17 years of age were treated in a pediatric oncology centre in Ontario; the remainder were treated in adult facilities. 31 Differences have also been noted in the United States, where only about 20% of patients 15 to 19 years old are treated at pediatric or adult cooperative group institutions.…”

Single institution experience on cancer among adolescents 15-19 years of age

“…Possibly, this was because these types of adolescent cancers were treated in adult oncology centers. Other studies have also shown cancers like germ cell tumors, carcinomas and malignant melanomas were more likely to be treated in adult centers 12,13 .…”

Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer: Principles of Care

“…The aya patients treated in pediatric centres start treatment sooner and are more likely to enter a clinical trial 5 , but literature about whether aya patients receive the best available therapy (however that might be defined) or experience different outcomes depending on the type of treatment centre is lacking. That such patients should have lifelong medical support is widely accepted, but how to implement that support remains a topic of debate 6 .…”