Betsy Bates

SAN DIEGO – What if 3-6 million Americans had an asymptomatic condition that was easily, but coincidentally, detected on CT and MRI scans?

What if a number of excellent, but expensive, options existed to treat this condition, potentially preventing a catastrophic event in 0%-53% of cases, depending on the size, location, and duration of the problematic entity?

Obviously, you would look to well-designed, prospective, randomized, controlled trials intended to determine which patients should be referred for treatment, which patients should be watched, and which should be reassured.

But such trials don’t exist.

This real-life scenario describes asymptomatic, saccular, unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs), which pose a management conundrum for virtually every neurologist in practice today.

"These are extremely common. About 2% of the population has a UIA," including perhaps 14 of the 700 attendees of the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association, noted Dr. Robert D. Brown during a symposium at the meeting.

"Not to fret," Dr. Brown assured the audience after personalizing his statistics. "That doesn’t necessary mean [14 attendees possess] a ticking time bomb."

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages affect 6-10 per 100,000 U.S. population annually, with a case fatality rate of 30%-40%.

Still, "most aneurysms do not rupture," said Dr. Brown, chair of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The predominance of natural history studies point to size as being of critical importance in the assessment of rupture risk, "no matter where the location or what the age of the patient," he said.

Secondarily, location and age matter, with posterior aneurysms and those in older patients being at seemingly greater risk of rupture.

But with smaller and smaller aneurysms becoming increasingly easy to see on scans, "we’re in the situation right now where the question is not ‘Can we do anything [with incidentally discovered aneurysms in younger patients],’ but should we?" he remarked.

Beyond patient age and aneurysm size and position, the hypothesized risk factors for rupture include smoking, hypertension, alcohol consumption (with risk associated with no alcohol or high alcohol use), and perhaps family history, as well as morphological characteristics and growth of the aneurysm itself over time.

Epidemiologic cohort studies can help to direct management in the absence of a well-designed, randomized trial, Dr. Brown said.

For example, data on unoperated patients who were enrolled in the 5,500-patient ISUIA (International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms) suggest that smaller aneurysms located in the anterior circulation of the circle of Willis and the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery are quite unlikely to hemorrhage when they are followed conservatively for 5 years.

Available data from the trial also suggest that even very small (less than 7 mm) aneurysms have a potential for hemorrhage that is "noteworthy and certainly far from zero" if they are located in the posterior communicating artery or posterior circulation.

Current and future research is exploring whether more precise analysis of the features of such aneurysms – including their undulation and elliptical indices and nonspherical shape – may be more predictive of rupture risk.

Computational fluid dynamics, drawn from engineering principles, may also provide better guidance, Dr. Brown said.

In the meantime, he cited a "huge variation" in clinical practice when it comes to management of smaller, unruptured aneurysms, with some centers opting to treat 90% with coils or clips and others treating fewer than 10% of such cases.

His own practice, guided by the literature, is to advise treatment in the following situations:

• In younger patients in otherwise good health whose aneurysms measure 7 mm or greater.

• In younger patients in otherwise good health whose aneurysms measure less than 7 mm but are in the posterior circulation.

• Possibly, in older patients with aneurysms measuring 7-12 mm in the posterior circulation.

• In older patients with aneurysms greater than 12 mm in which a reasonable treatment option exists.

Dr. Brown advised aggressive treatment of hypertension and smoking-cessation management in all patients with unruptured aneurysms, as well as careful, imaging-based follow-up of conservatively managed patients based on limited data showing growth in moderate and large lesions over time.

Even 1 in 12 small (measuring less than 8 mm) aneurysms demonstrated "clear, definitive growth" over 4 years in a study of 165 patients (Stroke 2009;40:406-11), he noted.

Aspirin therapy may be beneficial, based on soon-to-be-released data from the ISUIA study showing a "strong and significant" trend toward lower rupture risk in patients taking the highest aspirin doses, he said.

Dr. Brown disclosed no conflicts of interest relative to his talk.

SAN DIEGO – What if 3-6 million Americans had an asymptomatic condition that was easily, but coincidentally, detected on CT and MRI scans?

What if a number of excellent, but expensive, options existed to treat this condition, potentially preventing a catastrophic event in 0%-53% of cases, depending on the size, location, and duration of the problematic entity?

Obviously, you would look to well-designed, prospective, randomized, controlled trials intended to determine which patients should be referred for treatment, which patients should be watched, and which should be reassured.

But such trials don’t exist.

This real-life scenario describes asymptomatic, saccular, unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs), which pose a management conundrum for virtually every neurologist in practice today.

"These are extremely common. About 2% of the population has a UIA," including perhaps 14 of the 700 attendees of the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association, noted Dr. Robert D. Brown during a symposium at the meeting.

"Not to fret," Dr. Brown assured the audience after personalizing his statistics. "That doesn’t necessary mean [14 attendees possess] a ticking time bomb."

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages affect 6-10 per 100,000 U.S. population annually, with a case fatality rate of 30%-40%.

Still, "most aneurysms do not rupture," said Dr. Brown, chair of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The predominance of natural history studies point to size as being of critical importance in the assessment of rupture risk, "no matter where the location or what the age of the patient," he said.

Secondarily, location and age matter, with posterior aneurysms and those in older patients being at seemingly greater risk of rupture.

But with smaller and smaller aneurysms becoming increasingly easy to see on scans, "we’re in the situation right now where the question is not ‘Can we do anything [with incidentally discovered aneurysms in younger patients],’ but should we?" he remarked.

Beyond patient age and aneurysm size and position, the hypothesized risk factors for rupture include smoking, hypertension, alcohol consumption (with risk associated with no alcohol or high alcohol use), and perhaps family history, as well as morphological characteristics and growth of the aneurysm itself over time.

Epidemiologic cohort studies can help to direct management in the absence of a well-designed, randomized trial, Dr. Brown said.

For example, data on unoperated patients who were enrolled in the 5,500-patient ISUIA (International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms) suggest that smaller aneurysms located in the anterior circulation of the circle of Willis and the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery are quite unlikely to hemorrhage when they are followed conservatively for 5 years.

Available data from the trial also suggest that even very small (less than 7 mm) aneurysms have a potential for hemorrhage that is "noteworthy and certainly far from zero" if they are located in the posterior communicating artery or posterior circulation.

Current and future research is exploring whether more precise analysis of the features of such aneurysms – including their undulation and elliptical indices and nonspherical shape – may be more predictive of rupture risk.

Computational fluid dynamics, drawn from engineering principles, may also provide better guidance, Dr. Brown said.

In the meantime, he cited a "huge variation" in clinical practice when it comes to management of smaller, unruptured aneurysms, with some centers opting to treat 90% with coils or clips and others treating fewer than 10% of such cases.

His own practice, guided by the literature, is to advise treatment in the following situations:

• In younger patients in otherwise good health whose aneurysms measure 7 mm or greater.

• In younger patients in otherwise good health whose aneurysms measure less than 7 mm but are in the posterior circulation.

• Possibly, in older patients with aneurysms measuring 7-12 mm in the posterior circulation.

• In older patients with aneurysms greater than 12 mm in which a reasonable treatment option exists.

Dr. Brown advised aggressive treatment of hypertension and smoking-cessation management in all patients with unruptured aneurysms, as well as careful, imaging-based follow-up of conservatively managed patients based on limited data showing growth in moderate and large lesions over time.

Even 1 in 12 small (measuring less than 8 mm) aneurysms demonstrated "clear, definitive growth" over 4 years in a study of 165 patients (Stroke 2009;40:406-11), he noted.

Aspirin therapy may be beneficial, based on soon-to-be-released data from the ISUIA study showing a "strong and significant" trend toward lower rupture risk in patients taking the highest aspirin doses, he said.

Dr. Brown disclosed no conflicts of interest relative to his talk.

SAN DIEGO – What if 3-6 million Americans had an asymptomatic condition that was easily, but coincidentally, detected on CT and MRI scans?

What if a number of excellent, but expensive, options existed to treat this condition, potentially preventing a catastrophic event in 0%-53% of cases, depending on the size, location, and duration of the problematic entity?

Obviously, you would look to well-designed, prospective, randomized, controlled trials intended to determine which patients should be referred for treatment, which patients should be watched, and which should be reassured.

But such trials don’t exist.

This real-life scenario describes asymptomatic, saccular, unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs), which pose a management conundrum for virtually every neurologist in practice today.

"These are extremely common. About 2% of the population has a UIA," including perhaps 14 of the 700 attendees of the annual meeting of the American Neurological Association, noted Dr. Robert D. Brown during a symposium at the meeting.

"Not to fret," Dr. Brown assured the audience after personalizing his statistics. "That doesn’t necessary mean [14 attendees possess] a ticking time bomb."

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages affect 6-10 per 100,000 U.S. population annually, with a case fatality rate of 30%-40%.

Still, "most aneurysms do not rupture," said Dr. Brown, chair of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The predominance of natural history studies point to size as being of critical importance in the assessment of rupture risk, "no matter where the location or what the age of the patient," he said.

Secondarily, location and age matter, with posterior aneurysms and those in older patients being at seemingly greater risk of rupture.

But with smaller and smaller aneurysms becoming increasingly easy to see on scans, "we’re in the situation right now where the question is not ‘Can we do anything [with incidentally discovered aneurysms in younger patients],’ but should we?" he remarked.

Beyond patient age and aneurysm size and position, the hypothesized risk factors for rupture include smoking, hypertension, alcohol consumption (with risk associated with no alcohol or high alcohol use), and perhaps family history, as well as morphological characteristics and growth of the aneurysm itself over time.

Epidemiologic cohort studies can help to direct management in the absence of a well-designed, randomized trial, Dr. Brown said.

For example, data on unoperated patients who were enrolled in the 5,500-patient ISUIA (International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms) suggest that smaller aneurysms located in the anterior circulation of the circle of Willis and the cavernous segment of the internal carotid artery are quite unlikely to hemorrhage when they are followed conservatively for 5 years.

Available data from the trial also suggest that even very small (less than 7 mm) aneurysms have a potential for hemorrhage that is "noteworthy and certainly far from zero" if they are located in the posterior communicating artery or posterior circulation.

Current and future research is exploring whether more precise analysis of the features of such aneurysms – including their undulation and elliptical indices and nonspherical shape – may be more predictive of rupture risk.

Computational fluid dynamics, drawn from engineering principles, may also provide better guidance, Dr. Brown said.

In the meantime, he cited a "huge variation" in clinical practice when it comes to management of smaller, unruptured aneurysms, with some centers opting to treat 90% with coils or clips and others treating fewer than 10% of such cases.

His own practice, guided by the literature, is to advise treatment in the following situations:

• In younger patients in otherwise good health whose aneurysms measure 7 mm or greater.

• In younger patients in otherwise good health whose aneurysms measure less than 7 mm but are in the posterior circulation.

• Possibly, in older patients with aneurysms measuring 7-12 mm in the posterior circulation.

• In older patients with aneurysms greater than 12 mm in which a reasonable treatment option exists.

Dr. Brown advised aggressive treatment of hypertension and smoking-cessation management in all patients with unruptured aneurysms, as well as careful, imaging-based follow-up of conservatively managed patients based on limited data showing growth in moderate and large lesions over time.

Even 1 in 12 small (measuring less than 8 mm) aneurysms demonstrated "clear, definitive growth" over 4 years in a study of 165 patients (Stroke 2009;40:406-11), he noted.

Aspirin therapy may be beneficial, based on soon-to-be-released data from the ISUIA study showing a "strong and significant" trend toward lower rupture risk in patients taking the highest aspirin doses, he said.

Dr. Brown disclosed no conflicts of interest relative to his talk.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – For adolescents and young adults with cancer, news from the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society was not good. In line with mounting evidence from around the world, studies pointed to disproportionately heavy burdens shouldered by teens and young adults with cancer, in terms of rising incidence, stagnant mortality rates, financial hardship, pain, and psychological distress.

The findings were neither unfamiliar nor surprising to Erin Eloise, a young survivor staffing the i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation booth, home to stupidcancer.com, in the exhibit hall.

"We deal with an onslaught of anxiety and depression because we are not just concerned about our health, we are concerned about our whole lives," said the 24-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., resident, diagnosed as a college student with phyllodes, a rare form of breast cancer.

With its crooked, yellow-lettered logo and bracelets featuring an upraised middle finger, the foundation’s decidedly youthful tilt targets the 70,000 patients aged 15-39 years diagnosed with cancer each year.

Besides a prominent Web page, the foundation has a Facebook page, blog, Internet talk radio show (The Stupid Cancer show, live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Monday nights), Twitter feeds, community chapters, social mixers, and a sold-out conference – the OMG! Cancer Summit to be held in New York City April 16-17.

As a measure of the organization’s reach, the Stupid Cancer radio show recently surpassed 575,000 listeners, reported Matthew Zachary, 33, founder and CEO of the foundation and himself a survivor of medulloblastoma, diagnosed his senior year in college.

For Ms. Eloise, the organization was a lifeline for support, resources, and a level of understanding that seemed out of reach when she was diagnosed with her "grandmother’s disease."

"First I tried the breast cancer community, but because I was so young (even in the young breast cancer community) and my cancer was so rare, I just didn’t fit in," she said in an interview. "In the end, I just hated the way that most support groups were run, because I didn’t identify with ‘all things pink’ and I didn’t want to sit in a circle and cry with people twice my age."

Survivor Jason Mlot, diagnosed at age 17 with a rare, undifferentiated pelvic sarcoma, received his treatment in pediatric centers, surrounded by G-rated videos, "little kid video games," and cartoon figures on the walls. "The doctors and other caregivers were awesome, but there just wasn’t a lot for me to work with in terms of age-appropriate support," he said in an interview.

Both young survivors stressed the catastrophic impact cancer had on them at a time of social, educational, physical transition: "the point in time that we are supposed to get a degree, get married, have children, have a career, and become adults ... a time to make all of your silly childhood dreams come true in some realistic form," said Ms. Eloise, who helps to produce the radio show and serves as outreach coordinator for the organization.

Parents closely shelter and support pediatric cancer patients. Older adults often rely on well-established relationships with partners or lifelong friends to help them through the rigors of treatment and beyond.

Young adults may find themselves isolated from partying peers, suddenly struggling with body image issues in addition to the normal angst inherent in constructing one’s self-image, educational and career paths, and romantic future.

When Mr. Mlot was a high school junior, weight loss and impaired mobility led to a cancer diagnosis, seven courses of chemotherapy, 6 weeks of radiation, a bone marrow stem cell transplant, and months of rehabilitation to restore his ability to walk. Crashing into his adventurous youth came physical limitations, profound financial burdens, educational delays, and fertility fears, he explained.

"You feel like you are the only person going through it," said Mr. Mlot, now 26 years old.

"When you are diagnosed at a young age, you have a long time to live with your outcomes," he continued. "Maybe your career goals have been damaged or otherwise changed."

The i[2]y I’m Too Young for This! Cancer Foundation provided a place for both young survivors to find resources on legal issues, insurance barriers, fertility issues, body image, wellness, and relationships.

Ms. Eloise, who retains her dream of becoming a professional actress and dancer, credits the foundation from helping her to sort out her options for insurance coverage, including her decision to remain in school as long as possible so that she could be covered under her parents’ health insurance policy.

"Most important, they provide a sense that you are not alone, and there are other people just like you," said Mr. Mlot.

Involvement can be strictly online, through chat rooms, or on Facebook, or can involve direct meetings with other survivors at local chapter events or national conferences, striking back at the isolation many young cancer patients describe.

Fulfillment also comes in the form of volunteering for the organization, said Mr. Mlot, cochair of the group in the Florida region, and a graduating senior geography major at University of Florida in Gainesville.

"I know how it feels when you first start the cancer journey, so I feel like I can be helpful to people first facing it."

Cancer Facts: Adolescents and Young Adults

• 70,000 adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer each year.

• About 1.4 million young adult cancer survivors in the United States.

• 1 in 100 college students is a cancer survivor.

• Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents/young adults.

• White, non-Hispanic adolescents/young adults have the highest incidence and the highest 5-year survival rates.

• American Indian and Alaskan Native adolescents/young adults have the lowest cancer incidence but also have poor 5-year survival rates.

• African Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rates.

• Incidence of some forms of cancer in adolescents/young adults is rising; for example, melanoma.

• In contrast to young children and older adults, survival rates in adolescents and young adults have not improved in decades

Sources:

National Cancer Institute: "A Snapshot of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer" (Updated September 2010)

NCI: "Closing the Gap" 2006

i[2]y I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation

No relevant financial disclosures were reported by the individuals quoted in this story.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Serious psychological distress was identified in 12.6% of 4,168 cancer patients in a population-based sample, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

The comparatively high rates of distress were seen in patients who were surveyed under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which used the Kessler-6 questionnaire to identify signs of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and feelings of worthlessness.

Women, smokers, and patients with low rates of emotional support, perceived health status, and life satisfaction accounted for 28% of variance in nonsomatic distress among cancer patients in a multivariate regression model, said Eric Hanson, a graduate student in the department of psychology at Loma Linda (Calif.) University.

Significant univariate predictors of distress included all of those variables, plus lower education and income; lack of insurance; ethnicity (black or Hispanic vs. white); age (younger vs. older); and cancer type.

Female reproductive cancer, breast cancer, and a broad category of "other" cancers, including head and neck cancer, had the strongest associations with distress in the univariate analysis, reported Mr. Hanson.

Rates of emotional distress among cancer patients have been highly variable in the literature, largely because of a dearth of instruments that are specifically designed to look at psychological variables in cancer patients, explained Mr. Hanson during his podium presentation at the meeting.

"We are cobbling together what we can of psychosocial outcomes from surveys largely intended for other purposes," he said.

Some recent population-based studies have estimated that fewer than 6% of cancer patients experience clinically relevant distress. Rates of depression in cancer patients have ranged from 0% to 58% in various studies, whereas anxiety rates have been reported in 19%-61% of patients.

"We really need to pin this down," said Narineh Hartoonian, another graduate student involved in the study that was led by Jason E. Owen, Ph.D. "Depression rates ranging from 0% to 58% – that’s crazy."

Identification of distress and specific cancer populations who are at risk has taken on urgency as new findings point to links between depression and survival among cancer patients, Mr. Hartoonian noted in an interview.

Among those studies are the following:

• A meta-analysis of 31 prospective studies reported a 25% higher mortality rate among cancer patients with depressive symptoms, and a 39% higher mortality rate among those whose symptoms reached the threshold for a diagnosis of major depression (Cancer 2009; 115:5349-61).
• A recent secondary analysis of a randomized trial in 101 women with metastatic breast cancer demonstrated a doubling of survival time (53.6 months vs. 25.1 months) among women whose depression symptoms decreased during the first year of treatment, compared with women whose symptoms increased (J. Clin. Oncol. 2011; 29:413-20).

The researchers from Loma Linda University reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Serious psychological distress was identified in 12.6% of 4,168 cancer patients in a population-based sample, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

The comparatively high rates of distress were seen in patients who were surveyed under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which used the Kessler-6 questionnaire to identify signs of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and feelings of worthlessness.

Women, smokers, and patients with low rates of emotional support, perceived health status, and life satisfaction accounted for 28% of variance in nonsomatic distress among cancer patients in a multivariate regression model, said Eric Hanson, a graduate student in the department of psychology at Loma Linda (Calif.) University.

Significant univariate predictors of distress included all of those variables, plus lower education and income; lack of insurance; ethnicity (black or Hispanic vs. white); age (younger vs. older); and cancer type.

Female reproductive cancer, breast cancer, and a broad category of "other" cancers, including head and neck cancer, had the strongest associations with distress in the univariate analysis, reported Mr. Hanson.

Rates of emotional distress among cancer patients have been highly variable in the literature, largely because of a dearth of instruments that are specifically designed to look at psychological variables in cancer patients, explained Mr. Hanson during his podium presentation at the meeting.

"We are cobbling together what we can of psychosocial outcomes from surveys largely intended for other purposes," he said.

Some recent population-based studies have estimated that fewer than 6% of cancer patients experience clinically relevant distress. Rates of depression in cancer patients have ranged from 0% to 58% in various studies, whereas anxiety rates have been reported in 19%-61% of patients.

"We really need to pin this down," said Narineh Hartoonian, another graduate student involved in the study that was led by Jason E. Owen, Ph.D. "Depression rates ranging from 0% to 58% – that’s crazy."

Identification of distress and specific cancer populations who are at risk has taken on urgency as new findings point to links between depression and survival among cancer patients, Mr. Hartoonian noted in an interview.

Among those studies are the following:

• A meta-analysis of 31 prospective studies reported a 25% higher mortality rate among cancer patients with depressive symptoms, and a 39% higher mortality rate among those whose symptoms reached the threshold for a diagnosis of major depression (Cancer 2009; 115:5349-61).
• A recent secondary analysis of a randomized trial in 101 women with metastatic breast cancer demonstrated a doubling of survival time (53.6 months vs. 25.1 months) among women whose depression symptoms decreased during the first year of treatment, compared with women whose symptoms increased (J. Clin. Oncol. 2011; 29:413-20).

The researchers from Loma Linda University reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Serious psychological distress was identified in 12.6% of 4,168 cancer patients in a population-based sample, researchers reported at the annual meeting of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

The comparatively high rates of distress were seen in patients who were surveyed under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), which used the Kessler-6 questionnaire to identify signs of anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and feelings of worthlessness.

Women, smokers, and patients with low rates of emotional support, perceived health status, and life satisfaction accounted for 28% of variance in nonsomatic distress among cancer patients in a multivariate regression model, said Eric Hanson, a graduate student in the department of psychology at Loma Linda (Calif.) University.

Significant univariate predictors of distress included all of those variables, plus lower education and income; lack of insurance; ethnicity (black or Hispanic vs. white); age (younger vs. older); and cancer type.

Female reproductive cancer, breast cancer, and a broad category of "other" cancers, including head and neck cancer, had the strongest associations with distress in the univariate analysis, reported Mr. Hanson.

Rates of emotional distress among cancer patients have been highly variable in the literature, largely because of a dearth of instruments that are specifically designed to look at psychological variables in cancer patients, explained Mr. Hanson during his podium presentation at the meeting.

"We are cobbling together what we can of psychosocial outcomes from surveys largely intended for other purposes," he said.

Some recent population-based studies have estimated that fewer than 6% of cancer patients experience clinically relevant distress. Rates of depression in cancer patients have ranged from 0% to 58% in various studies, whereas anxiety rates have been reported in 19%-61% of patients.

"We really need to pin this down," said Narineh Hartoonian, another graduate student involved in the study that was led by Jason E. Owen, Ph.D. "Depression rates ranging from 0% to 58% – that’s crazy."

Identification of distress and specific cancer populations who are at risk has taken on urgency as new findings point to links between depression and survival among cancer patients, Mr. Hartoonian noted in an interview.

Among those studies are the following:

• A meta-analysis of 31 prospective studies reported a 25% higher mortality rate among cancer patients with depressive symptoms, and a 39% higher mortality rate among those whose symptoms reached the threshold for a diagnosis of major depression (Cancer 2009; 115:5349-61).
• A recent secondary analysis of a randomized trial in 101 women with metastatic breast cancer demonstrated a doubling of survival time (53.6 months vs. 25.1 months) among women whose depression symptoms decreased during the first year of treatment, compared with women whose symptoms increased (J. Clin. Oncol. 2011; 29:413-20).

The researchers from Loma Linda University reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.

ANAHEIM, CALIF. – Compared with older cancer patients, younger adults battling the disease reported more pain, more severe pain, and more distress on almost every psychological variable measured by researchers at the University of South Florida, Tampa.

The findings were notable because older patients, defined as those over age 55, were more likely than their younger counterparts to have stage IV disease (56.8% vs. 36.7%) and be receiving palliative care rather than active treatment (63.3% vs. 37.8%) in the 232-patient study.

Patients ranged in age from 21 to 84 years, and participated in the study a mean 3.2 years following diagnosis. About half of the patients, 49%, were younger than 55 years. The most common diagnoses were lymphoma, leukemia, lung cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.

Significant differences were seen in younger and older patients’ reports of pain (82.5% vs. 73.9%, respectively), pain severity on a 0- to 10-point Likert scale (2.63 vs. 2.30), and distress associated with their pain, according to scores on the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (2.82 vs. 2.35).

Significantly more young adults reported problems with sleep difficulties, sadness, worry, irritability, and sexual concerns, reported Jessica Krok, a doctoral candidate in the university’s School of Aging Studies, during a podium session at the annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society.

Difficulty sleeping and worrying were especially common, being reported by 62.8% and 60.2% of young adult cancer patients surveyed, respectively. These were concerns of 47.9% and 42.9% of older adult patients.

A highly significant difference was seen in patients reporting that they felt irritable: 54% of younger adults, compared with 35% of older adults with the disease.

Numerically, younger patients were more likely to report difficulty concentrating and feeling nervous, although differences in those categories did not reach significance.

The only psychological variable reported more by older than younger patients was the statement, "I don’t look like myself," which was answered affirmatively by 48.7% of older patients and 43.4% of younger patients; again, the difference was not significant.

Ms. Krok emphasized that pain was a problem for 78% of all patients in the study. After controlling for psychological variables, she and her colleagues found that women, unmarried patients, less religiously active patients, and those reporting sleep disturbances reported higher pain severity.

When only younger patients’ responses were analyzed, age was still significantly correlated with pain severity, again with the youngest patients reporting higher levels of pain. Higher levels of worry were also associated with higher pain severity among younger adults.

For both younger and older patients, being female and having sleep difficulties correlated with higher pain severity scores.

Among older patients, more intense pain was also associated with being less actively involved with religion or being on a palliative care plan rather than active treatment of their disease.

Several theories have been postulated to contribute to younger adults reporting more severe physical and psychological symptoms arising from their cancer diagnoses. Their disease might be more aggressive, or might be treated more aggressively. Psychosocial context may also play a role. Pain, for example, is experienced multidimensionally, with emotional and psychological contextualization of physical sensations. "Older patients may have developed more effective coping mechanisms ... a lifetime of experiences and the knowledge to deal with both positive and negative events," said Ms. Krok.

Joel Marcus, Psy.D., director of psychosocial oncology at the Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, and the moderator of the session, also wondered whether perspective might contribute to patients’ experiencing of symptoms and emotionally interpreting their impact. Younger patients, he said, may see cancer as the primary barrier to fulfillment of their lives, whereas older patients "may see it as one of life’s obstacles."

Ms. Krok also noted that cancer might be seen by older patients as an "on-time" event, that is, a life circumstance not unexpected at their age, and one shared by peers as well, whereas for younger patients, cancer might seem shocking, unexpected, and highly disruptive to their life stage.

Ms. Krok and her coinvestigators, Tamara Baker, Ph.D., and Susan McMillan, Ph.D., reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.