Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 12;40(3):cyaf014.
doi: 10.1093/her/cyaf014.

Cancer awareness among adolescents in second-level education: a mixed methods systematic review

Stephanie Lawrence  1 , Serena FitzGerald  1 , Josephine Hegarty  1 , Mohamad M Saab  1
Affiliations

Cancer awareness among adolescents in second-level education: a mixed methods systematic review

Stephanie Lawrence et al. Health Educ Res. .

Abstract

This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence from studies that explored cancer awareness among adolescents. The systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) guidelines. Seven electronic databases were systematically searched for studies published between January 2010 and March 2022. The search was updated in April 2024. Data extraction and quality appraisal were performed. Data were synthesized narratively. A total of 21 studies were included for review. Overall, adolescents were found to have low cancer symptom awareness and to report several perceived barriers to symptomatic presentation for cancer. Adolescents also seemed underinformed about modifiable lifestyle behaviours associated with cancer, which has the potential to lead to a higher level of engagement in health risk behaviours. Findings from this review indicate the importance of actively promoting cancer awareness among adolescents. This has the potential to lead to increased knowledge and help-seeking for symptoms of cancer among adolescents, which in turn would lead to earlier diagnosis and ultimately more positive patient outcomes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Record identification, screening, and selection process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gupta S, Harper A, Ruan Y et al. International trends in the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst 2020; 112: 1105–17. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djaa007 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Miller KD, Fidler‐Benaoudia M, Keegan TH et al. Cancer statistics for adolescents and young adults, 2020. CA Cancer J Clin. 2020; 70: 443–59. doi: 10.3322/caac.21637 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Siegel RL, Giaquinto AN, Jemal A Cancer statistics, 2024. CA Cancer J Clin 2024; 74: 12–49. doi: 10.3322/caac.21820 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fuemmeler BF, Pendzich MK, Tercyak TKP. Weight, dietary behavior, and physical activity in childhood and adolescence: implications for adult cancer risk. Obes Facts 2009; 2: 179–86. doi: 10.1159/000220605 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Champion KE, Newton NC, Spring B et al. A systematic review of school-based eHealth interventions targeting alcohol use, smoking, physical inactivity, diet, sedentary behaviour and sleep among adolescents: a review protocol. Syst Rev 2017; 6: 246. doi: 10.1186/s13643-017-0645-x - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources