Teenage Cancer Trust launches #AndYoungPeople campaign, urging Government to include the needs of young people with cancer in the upcoming National Cancer Plan

Cancer is different for teenagers and young adults than it is for children and older adults – and yet they’re often overlooked.  Conversations about cancer in younger age groups tend to focus on children, and this is why Teenage Cancer Trust find themselves repeating the phrase: “and young people”.  

Mariam Sohail was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma aged 18 and was treated by Teenage Cancer Trust at Nottingham City Hospital. It took nine months from first noticing symptoms to her chemotherapy started, and she had to visit the GP multiple times before being referred.  

Now 23, she said: “If I could say one thing to Wes Streeting it would be to have young people taken more seriously and have their concerns listened to.”  

Phoebe Sproston, from Kent, was 17 when she was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Now 22, she has since relapsed twice. 

She said: “I wish that those making decisions about young people’s health understood what is was like to have your whole life ahead of you only for it to be snatched away by cancer and afterwards, try and rebuild yourself, your life because it’s never going to be the same again. It takes years to mentally, physically and financially recover from it. Cancer isn’t over once you’re ‘free’ “ 

Shelby, aged 26, was diagnosed with stage 1 bowel (rectal) cancer just after her 24^th birthday. Bowel cancer is rare in young people, and Shelby was initially misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.  

She said: “Now is the time to listen to young people’s voices.” 

Getting a cancer diagnosis in the first place is harder for teenagers and young adults. In a 2023 survey, nearly half (48%) of teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer had to see their GP three or more times before referral – the most out of any age group.    

They also often fall through the cracks when it comes to accessing potentially lifesaving clinical trials because of age restrictions, and access to critical mental health support is patchy.   

Teenage Cancer Trust have published an open letter on their website , urging the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to listen to the voices of young people in creating the upcoming National Cancer Plan. They are calling on members of the public to add their names to the letter at teenagecancertrust.org/pledge to show support.  

The charity has also made a number of specific recommendations to the Government for the upcoming National Cancer Plan for England. These include:  

• On Faster Diagnosis: Teenage Cancer Trust is calling for support and training for GPs and healthcare professionals so that they can increase their awareness of symptoms of cancer in young people.  The charity also believes that a public health campaign to raise awareness of the main symptoms of cancer in the young is urgently needed.     
• On Clinical Trials: Teenage Cancer Trust is calling for every young person with cancer in the UK to have the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial where a suitable one is available. 
• On Mental Health: Teenage Cancer Trust believes that in every UK nation, every teenage and young adult with cancer must be able to access expert psychological support from a trained psychologist from the point of diagnosis and for a minimum of two years post-treatment.   

The campaign coincides with the start of Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month. Now in its third year, Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month exists to raise awareness of the specific challenges facing young people with cancer, and how they are not the same as those facing children or older adults.  

Kate Collins, Chief Executive at Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “Cancer is different for teenagers and young adults than it is for children and older adults – and yet they’re often overlooked. That’s why we’ve launched our #AndYoungPeople campaign, urging the Government to listen to the unique needs of young people with cancer as part of the upcoming National Cancer Plan for England.  

“There’s an opportunity right now for the Government to make a huge difference to the health of a generation – a difference that will have a real impact on their commitment to tackle the biggest killers and build a UK where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.”