A cancer diagnosis in young adulthood can throw life into a tailspin, requiring a focus on health and treatment during a time that is often aimed at pursuing education, career, and/or starting a family. 

During a Wisconsin Public Radio show, Ryan Mattison, MD, associate professor (CHS), Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care talked about some of the challenges faced by the 70,000 adults in the US who are between the ages of 15 and 29 and who are living with cancer. 

"The number of adolescents and young adults with cancer is about seven times the number of pediatric cancer cases...[also] the overall outcomes in patients treated for cancer has improved dramatically in younger children and in older adults in the past 20 years, but we're still trying to catch up in this adolescent and young adult population so they can achieve some of those good outcomes [as well]," said Dr. Mattison. 

Resources:

• "Young Adults With Cancer," Wisconsin Public Radio, July 31, 2018

Photo (top): Dr. Ryan Mattison answers questions from colleagues during a 2016 Medical Education Day event. Photo credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine