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Review
. 2022 Aug 20;14(16):4021.
doi: 10.3390/cancers14164021.

Early-Onset Cancers in Adults: A Review of Epidemiology, Supportive Care Needs and Future Research Priorities

Ashleigh C Hamilton  1 , David W Donnelly  1   2 , Deirdre Fitzpatrick  2 , Helen G Coleman  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Early-Onset Cancers in Adults: A Review of Epidemiology, Supportive Care Needs and Future Research Priorities

Ashleigh C Hamilton et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

Rising incidence of specific types of early-age onset cancers in adults aged 18-49 years has been reported in high-income countries. In this review, we summarise the epidemiology of early-onset cancers using exemplar data from a high-income UK region, discuss supportive care needs for young patients and outline future research directions. The incidence rate of early-onset cancers increased by 20.5% from 1993 to 2019 in Northern Ireland. Differences in types of cancer were observed between sexes and across age groups of 18-29, 30-39 and 40-49 years. One and five-year net survival was mostly better in 18-29-year-olds for all cancers combined compared to older age groups for both sexes, but there were variations in specific cancer types. Poorer survival was observed for patients with brain/central nervous system, connective and soft tissue or lung cancers. Patients with early-onset cancers face unique supportive care needs and require holistic care. The impact of cancer treatment on fertility and fertility preservation treatments is an important consideration. Social media can be used for patient support, information, fundraising, advocacy work and recruitment to research studies. We also outline suggested future research priorities for early-onset cancers, spanning prevention, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care needs.

Keywords: early-onset cancer; epidemiology; supportive care needs; young onset cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age-standardised incidence rates of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) by year of diagnosis in Northern Ireland in adults aged 18–49 years.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average number of cases per year for the most common cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) in males aged 18–49 years in Northern Ireland from 2010–2019. Percentages refer to the proportion of the total average number of cancer cases per year.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Average number of cases per year for the most common cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) in females aged 18–49 years in Northern Ireland from 2010–2019. Percentages refer to the proportion of the total average number of cancer cases per year.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Five-year net survival for males by age group diagnosed in 2000–2014, followed up to end of 2019. Cancer types displayed are the cancers common to all three age groups in males. * central nervous system; (B) five-year net survival for females by age group diagnosed in 2000–2014, followed up to end of 2019. Cancer types displayed are the cancers common to all three age groups in females.
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