Teenage and young adult (TYA) cancers

About teenage and young adult (TYA) cancers

In the UK, around 2,300 young people (aged 15 to 24 years) are diagnosed with cancer each year. That’s more than 6 cases each day.

Young people’s cancers can be different to cancers in children and adults. In the UK, young people with cancer aged 13 to 18 years have treatment in specialist treatment centres. These are called TYA principal treatment centres (PTCs).

Young people aged 19 to 24 years should also have access to age appropriate treatment areas and support. This might be in their local hospital or at a regional principal treatment centre.

Being in an age appropriate treatment area means you will be around other people of a similar age to you. You will have things to do that are appropriate for your age and peer group. The area you stay in might be decorated differently to other hospital areas, making it more friendly and welcoming. You will also have access to support that is tailored to young people.

Adam was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma aged 14.

The Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) charity funds specialist areas within hospitals for young people. They are in almost every major NHS cancer treatment hospital across the UK.

Find out where the TCT cancer units are

What are the most common types of cancer in teenagers and young adults?

There are at least 88 different subtypes of young people’s cancers. These can be put into 12 main groups. The picture below shows these groups and gives you an idea of how common they are.

The most common group is made up of ​melanoma skin cancer​ and ​carcinomas​. 30 out of 100 young people with cancer (30%) have these types of cancer. Carcinomas cover several cancer types. Some of the most common include cancer of the ​cervix​, ​thyroid​ and breast.

The next most common group is ​lymphomas​. 20 out of 100 young people with cancer (20%) have a type of lymphoma.

​Germ cell tumours​ are the third most common type. 16 out of every 100 young people with cancer (16%) have these types of cancer.

We have detailed information about some of these cancer types on our A to Z list.

Cancer types A to Z list

The Teenage Cancer Trust has information about the most common cancers in teenagers and young adults.

Types of cancer on the Teenage Cancer Trust website

What are the symptoms of cancer in young people?

Symptoms caused by cancer depend on where the cancer is growing. And the same type of cancer may cause different symptoms in different people. Cancer symptoms can be similar to many other conditions which are often more likely in this age group.

Having the symptoms below doesn’t mean you have cancer. But it's important to see your GP to get them checked out.

Some of the most common symptoms are:

• pain that doesn’t go away

• feeling tired all the time for no reason

• an unexplained lump, firmness or swelling anywhere in the body

• headaches that don’t go away or that happen regularly

• changes to an area of skin or mole such as a change in shape, colour or size. The area might be inflamed, ooze or have a change in sensation

• unexplained weight loss

Other possible symptoms include:

• frequent or unexplained bruising or a rash of small red or purple spots that can't be explained

• unusual paleness

• skin changes such as sweating a lot at night and itching

• frequent infections or flu-like symptoms

• being or feeling sick (vomiting) for no obvious reason. This might happen regularly and it doesn’t go away

• unexplained high temperature (fever)

• feeling short of breath and a persistent cough

• eye changes such as abnormal movements, a bulging eye, unusual eye reflections in photos or changes to your sight (vision). This might be blurring, double vision or loss of vision

• unexplained seizures (fits)

• changes in your behaviour, alertness and mood

• changes to your balance, coordination, or walking problems

• memory, speech, taste, smell and brain (cognitive) changes

• abnormal head position such as a head tilt or stiff neck

• delayed puberty or you may have started puberty but it may have stopped

• not growing as much as you should for your age

• sensation changes such as numbness and tingling in your arms or legs

Find out about booking an appointment with your GP surgery

Seeing your GP

It can be hard for GPs to tell who may have cancer and who might have a more minor condition. For some symptoms, your doctor may ask you to wait to see if your symptoms get better or respond to treatment, such as antibiotics.

There are guidelines for GPs to help them decide who needs a referral to see a specialist or for tests.

It may help to write down:

• what your symptoms are

• when they happen

• if anything makes the symptoms better or worse

There might be a common theme which will help your GP. Tell your GP if you are worried about cancer.

Tell someone what’s going on

You might want to tell a person you trust about your symptoms, such as a parent or friend. Ask them if they’ll go with you to see your GP if you are worried. They can support you and help explain what has been going on.

Don’t be embarrassed

Be open about the symptoms you have and what you are worried about. There is no need to feel embarrassed. Your doctor is very used to dealing with all sorts of symptoms and will want to help find the cause.

It’s likely the doctor will want to examine you. So if you would prefer to see a male or female doctor, make sure you mention this to the receptionist when booking your appointment. They can help sort this out when booking your appointment.

After you have seen the GP

Your GP might send you for some tests or scans to help look into your symptoms. Depending on your symptoms or results of the tests and scans your doctor might refer you to see a specialist who can help make a diagnosis. The specialist might arrange for you to have tests such as blood tests, scans and biopsies.

Your doctor might not think you need tests or to see a specialist. They may give you medicine to help. Or another type of treatment, such as exercises to do. Ask when you should expect to see your symptoms get better.

Find out more about the different types of tests or scans you might have

If you are diagnosed with cancer

If you are diagnosed with cancer, your doctor will refer you to a specialist for your cancer type. This is usually at a teenage and young adult principal treatment centre (PTC). Some young people may have some or all of their cancer treatment in a hospital that has links to the PTC.

You will meet lots of people you are able to rely on for support. It may be quite overwhelming at first adjusting to the changes in your life. But always remember you have people you can contact.

Treatments for cancer

Your treatment depends on several things including:

• the type of cancer you have

• which parts of the body are affected

• your general health

There are different types of treatment. Some of the treatments for cancer include:

• ​chemotherapy​

• surgery

• ​radiotherapy​

• ​immunotherapy​

• ​targeted cancer drugs​

• ​stem cell transplant​

Your doctor might ask if you would like to take part in a ​clinical trial​.

You may only need one treatment for your cancer type. Or you might need a combination of several treatments. Your healthcare team will talk to you in detail about the treatment you need and its side effects.

Understanding your treatment and the side effects can help you cope.

Find out more about the different types of treatment

Side effects of treatment

All treatments have side effects. The types of side effects depend on the type of treatment you are having. Your healthcare team will go through the possible side effects before you start treatment. This prepares you for what might happen, and when to contact your team when you are at home.

Side effects can happen during or shortly after treatment. Others might start months or years after treatment has finished. Some side effects can be life threatening. So it’s important to follow the advice from your healthcare team. They may need to give you treatment as soon as possible to help prevent it from getting worse.

Side effects vary from person to person. Your doctor or nurse can’t say exactly which side effects you will get. But they can let you know which are more common.

It can be quite frightening to know what might happen. But your healthcare team are used to managing these side effects. So speak to them or phone the advice line if you have any symptoms that are not normal for you. They can tell you what to do.

We have information about cancer drug treatments and their side effects.

Go to our A to Z list of cancer drugs

We also have a section on managing side effects from cancer treatment.

Go to our coping physically A to Z list

Research into teenage and young adult cancers

Some young people may have treatment as part of a clinical trial. Although overall survival is higher for teenagers and young adults with cancer today than in the past, there are still improvements to be made. Some cancers continue to have low survival. And many young people who survive their cancer have long term side effects.

At Cancer Research UK we are supporting research into cancers affecting young people. We are doing this by tackling the challenges affecting young people joining clinical trials.

Find out about Cancer Research UK’s plan to tackle these challenges

Researchers are looking at:

• understanding more about different cancers

• improving survival through developing new treatments or using a different combination of current treatments

• improving long term outcomes

• lessening treatment side effects and improving quality of life

We have a database of clinical trials where you can search for trials taking place in the UK. It’s best to first talk with your doctor or specialist nurse if you are interested in joining a clinical trial. They know your situation, so will know if there is anything suitable for you.

Find a clinical trial

Teenage Cancer Trust and Cancer Research UK have created the first UK TYA online information resource about research. It has information on:

• what clinical trials are

• studying your complete set of ​genes​ – this is called genomics

• what biobanking is and why you might be asked to take part

Biobanking is storing samples from an operation or tests for research.

Go to the Teenage and Young Adult Research learning resource

Coping with cancer as a young person

Being diagnosed with cancer comes as a shock no matter what your age. But particularly so when you are young. Most people feel a range of emotions including:

• anger

• anxiety

• fear

• sadness

• numbness

Things can feel uncertain and overwhelming at times. There is such a lot to take in.

Below is a short video from Jake about his experience and advice about coping with cancer. Jake was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) when he was 17.

As a young person, you may feel like life is just beginning as you start to become more independent. Or you might just be trying to get through everyday life. Then you’re suddenly diagnosed with cancer, and it can feel that everything is on hold.

There is no right or wrong way to cope with getting cancer. You have to do what is right for you. And with time, you gradually manage to cope with this new normal.

In TYA treatment centres the health professionals are very experienced. So they have an understanding of the impact of a cancer diagnosis and it's treatment. There are lots of people to talk to so don’t feel alone. Some of these people include:

• your specialist nurse

• youth support workers

• your doctor

• social workers

• other professionals you may be in contact with such as a physiotherapist or hospital teacher

Your healthcare team can also help you find support for your mental health, such as referring you to see a psychotherapist for counselling.

Talking to friends and other members of your family can also help you deal with your feelings.

Go to information about mental health and coping with cancer

There may be other questions or worries you have about cancer and its treatment and how it might affect you. This may include concerns about:

• education or work

• money issues

• treatment side effects, including whether treatment could affect your fertility

We have information about this in our coping with cancer and children’s cancer section.

Go to information about coping with cancer

Read about children’s cancers and the support available

Organisations that can help

Cancer Research UK information and support

Teenage Cancer Trust

Other organisations helping young people with cancer

Other cancer support organisations

Charities that provide holidays to support young people

Charities that help with financial issues