This case study recounts the experience of Justin, a 16-year-old male diagnosed with osteosarcoma. This case study aims to facilitate the development of competencies that reflect the role of the Specialist Cancer Nurse (SCN) in delivery of supportive care, including provision of information and education for people affected by osteosarcoma in adolescents and young adults (AYA).

The case study contains four sections: Find the condition early; Have the best treatment and support during active treatment; Have the best treatment and support between and after active treatment; Have the best care at the end of life.

Cancer Australia is collaborating with CanTeen to develop a National Service Delivery Framework for young Australians affected by cancer.

The draft Adolescent and Young Adults Cancers National Service Delivery Framework concentrates on the specific service delivery needs of adolescents and young adults affected by cancer, to improve outcomes for this group throughout their cancer journey and as they move on with their life.

This report is the first step for NSW in understanding the issues surrounding the care needs of AYA with cancer.

It provides an overview of the current treatment pathways and models of care for AYA with cancer, their access to and participation in clinical trials, palliative and psychosocial support needs and the psychosocial and late-effects for this unique group of cancer patients in NSW and allows further understanding about specific issues surrounding adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients.

A report regarding a workshop held in November 2009 convened by Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA) to bring together the key stakeholders in the Youth Cancer Networks Program (YCNP) to identify opportunties for collaboration on national programs to enhance adolescent and young adult cancer services in Australia. 

onTrac@PeterMac is Australia‘s leading multidisciplinary health care team that offers specialised, age appropriate care to Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer patients treated within adult hospitals. The team includes a medical & paediatric oncologist, clinical nurse consultant, psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, palliative care CNS, education advisor, music therapist, education & training officer and research officer.

The service provides:

• clinical care and support for young people undergoing cancer treatment
• secondary consultation service to healthcare professionals, young people and the broader community
• training, education & professional development program
• medical & psychosocial translational research and AYA resources.

The Health Professionals section of the web site has been designed specifically to assist health professionals who work with or have an interest in adolescent and young adult cancer care. The information that can be found in this website has come from the knowledge and experience gained from healthcare professionals working in the field.

Designed through an international curriculum development group, the course is delivered online, allowing students to work at your own pace. Students are introduced to theory and practice about caring for teenagers and young adults with cancer and theory modules are underpinned by a work based learning module that enables students to reflect on and develop their own practice.

Aimed at all of the multidisciplinary team, students are encouraged to work together online, to develop specialist knowledge and learn how the various roles combine to offer patient-based care.

The course covers theories and concepts relating to caring for cancer sufferers in different age groups including transition, normal adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Options around palliative care, acute care and long term follow-up are available for students to mould the course to meet their individual practice needs. The options consist of one compulsory introductory module, one compulsory work based learning module and a choice of module, either related to palliative care or to acute and longer-term care.

For further information, please download the eBrochure in PDF: Cancer Care for Teenagers and Young Adults courses.

NSW Oncology Child and Adolescent Group was established by the Cancer Institute NSW in August 2005, to bring together the state‘s lead cancer clinicians, patients and planners to:

• Develop best-practice methods and pathways for clinical care and review standard treatments for children and adolescents
• Identify data needed to monitor outcomes and to improve cancer outcomes in NSW for children and adolescents
• Promote sub specialised knowledge and education for each type of cancer
• Promote participation in clinical trials.

Key activities of the group include: Improve psychosocial care for adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer - this project aims to collect and collate information about the geographical distribution of NSW Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancers, incidences, outcomes, referral patterns, clinical trial access and participation. Information will be gathered through data analysis, a high-level literature review and clinician on-line survey. Improve medical and psychosocial care for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer - A Research Psychologist will work with two social workers to create a tool and document quality of life concerns for childhood cancer survivors, unmet support service needs, and preferences for support services in NSW.

The AYACG is an informal interest group for people interested in receiving information and news relating to improving care for adolescents and young adults with cancer. 

CanTeen - The Australian Organisation for Young People Living with Cancer - is a national support organisation for 12 - 24 year olds who are living with cancer, and is the only organisation of its kind in Australia. CanTeen's mission is to support, develop and empower young people living with cancer. We do this by providing an Australia-wide peer support network for 12 to 24 year-olds, who include*:

• Patients - young people who have been diagnosed with cancer;
• Siblings & Offspring - young people who have an immediate family member (brother, sister, parent or primary carer) who has been diagnosed with cancer; and
• Bereaved Siblings & Offspring - young people who have had an immediate family member die from cancer.

A special interest group convened by Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA) to guide the development of strategies and services to improve outcomes for Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer in Australia.

NSWOG Child and Adolescent represents a collaboration of health professionals across the three key paediatric sites in NSW; Sydney Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Westmead and John Hunter Children's Hospital.

The care of Adolescent and Young Adults with Cancer in NSW has been a focus of the Group, with current priority projects including:

• Improving medical and psychosocial care for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer
• Improving psychosocial care for adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer

An edition of Cancer Forum, the journal of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia and The Cancer Council of Australia, with a focus on Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers and associated issues.

Seminars in Oncology provides current, authoritative, and practical reviews of developments in the diagnosis and management of patients with cancer. Each issue examines a single topic of clinical importance.

This edition focuses on Cancer in Adolescents and Young Adults. Among 20- to 39-year-olds, cancer causes more deaths than any other disease except depression that culminates in suicide. More females in the age group die of cancer than of the next three causes combined. Yet, substantially less attention has been given to young adults than to children and older adults, and the relative improvement in the survival rate in young adults has not kept pace with that achieved in younger or older patients.

Additionally, there is evidence that a substantial proportion of the cancers in young adults have a different biology, and probably etiology/pathogenesis, than that of what appears to be the same cancer in younger or older persons. The challenges of early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up are therefore likely to be distinctly different than in persons of a different age.

This book, based on an international conference hosted by the Teenage Cancer Trust, addresses the issues surrounding care of the adolescent with cancer more completely than ever before.

Some chapters provide practical information from leading specialists on managing and treating the specific tumours affecting this group whilst others present discussions by psychologists, nurses and other healthcare professionals on the many lifestyle issues that confront teenagers with cancer. Finally and maybe, most importantly, contributions from patients and carers give an insight into what it feels like to have the disease while growing into adulthood.

With its insight into the problems, and guidance on best practice, this book will be welcomed by all professionals and carers who work with young people with cancer.

This textbook, edited by Archie W. Bleyer and Ronald Duncan Barr, is a comprehensive book devoted exclusively to cancer in adolescents and young adults. An overview of cancer in this age group, specifically from age 15 to 29 inclusive, including epidemiology and the general differences in prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment is presented.

The epidemiology, risk factors/etiology, presenting symptoms and signs, diagnostic workup, treatment, survival outcomes and adverse effects of the 15 most common categories of cancers in the age group are each covered in separate chapters.

The emphasis is on how the cancer in the age group differs in epidemiology, biology, clinical management and outcome from the same cancer in younger and older patients.

Psycho-oncology is a comprehensive reference work on all the psychological aspects of cancer. It started as a revision of Holland and Rowland‘s very successful Handbook of Psychooncology (OUP, 1990), but was so heavily revised and expanded that it became a new book.

Among the many changes, there are new sets of chapters on psychosocial risk factors for cancer, genetic risk and cancer screening, and caring for persons with special needs. The editor, Jimmie C. Holland, is widely recognized as a leader and founder of this field. The six associate editors represent the disciplines relevant to psycho-oncology: psychiatry, psychology, social work and nursing.

Psychosocial Care of Cancer Patients: A Health Professional‘s Guide for What to Say and Do developed out of a desire to support and guide health professionals to provide compassionate, high-level psychosocial care to all those affected by cancer. While this book focuses on the psychosocial care of adults, some content is appropriate to the care of parents, carers and loved ones of cancer patients and survivors.

A practical resource handbook developed by psycho-oncology health professionals for assessing and managing common concerns including:

• Identifying and extending health professionals' existing psychosocial care skills
• Developing new psychosocial care skills
• Identifiying key resources for health professionals for each topic
• Providing clinical case examples throughout that highlight learning objectives
• Addressing frequently overlooked issues such as sexuality and body image.

The textbook also contains photocopiable resource sheets that support the practical application of the content.