Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Care of Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) with Cancer: a Scoping Review
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Despite the increasing prevalence of cancer in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patient populations and a growing recognition of their unique care needs, there remains a lack of standardized guidelines on high-quality care. While various organizations and authors have put forth recommendations, these have yet to be integrated and harmonized. The purpose of this review was to capture relevant clinical practice guidelines on core elements that define quality care for AYAs with cancer, reviewing literature from 2006 through 2025. RECENT FINDINGS: Eight studies met the inclusion criteria for clinical practice guidelines for the care of AYAs with cancer, many of which came from prominent oncology guidelines bodies, both nationally and internationally. Across the identified papers, 13 themes for AYA cancer care emerged, which were consolidated into practical recommendations. These themes were: 1) Raising Awareness, 2) Multidisciplinary Care, 3) Risk Assessment, 4) Innovative Models of Care, 5) Equity, 6) Psychosocial and Developmental Support, 7) Clinical Trials, 8) Reproductive Health, 9) Palliative Care, 10) Survivorship, 11) Access to Care, 12) Connections to Local Resources, and 13) Treatment Adherence. There are several high-quality clinical practice guidelines for AYA cancer care, summarized here into 13 themes. In this review, we discuss and contextualize these guidelines within the broader field of AYA oncology. By consolidating recommendations from diverse sources, we aim to provide a comprehensive resource for healthcare professionals, researchers, and policy makers to improve the quality of care for AYAs with cancer.
Source: Current Oncology Reports
Authors: Jacob Newton Stein, Emily Ruth Haines, Dawn Michelle Ritzwoller, Hannah Clark Winslow, Joanna Fardell, Lorna Fern, Sumit Gupta, Rayann Atway, Jordan Lodato Hunt, Melissa Matson, Catherine Swift, Elizabeth Moreton, Bridgette Thom, Alec Kupelian, Hilary Gan, Hrishika Muthukrishnan, Lauren Lux, Andrew Smitherman
Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, Huntsman Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hospital for Sick Children, Cone Health, University of North Carolina Health Care
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,090
Funders: Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Beijing University of Chemical Technology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, Whitehall Foundation, Velux Stiftung, Rufford Foundation, Academic Medical Organization of Southwestern Ontario, London Health Sciences Foundation, Indian Council of Medical Research, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Austrian Science Fund, Dongguk University, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, National Research Foundation of Korea, Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS, Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi, Agentúra na Podporu Výskumu a Vývoja, Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV, Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province, Science and Technology Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous, Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Caring for our Country, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute, Beijing Nova Program, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Yibin Science and Technology Planning Program, National Institute on Aging, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists's Applied Epidemiology Fellowship, Ministerio de Universidades, Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province
Award: UNC Oncology K12
OpenAlex ID: W7141208149