Research Challenges in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 40
Special Issue Editors
Interests: early diagnosis; access to research; evaluation of specialist care
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15-39 years with cancer require specific attention due to their unique range of cancers, as well as their distinct biological, psychosocial, and developmental characteristics. Despite ongoing improvements in outcomes broadly for AYAs as a group, progress in survival rates for specific cancer subtypes has been limited. Even in cancers with high survival rates, the long-term physical and psychological impact of curative treatments can be considerable.
Internationally, AYAs are under-represented in research, a concern identified over 30 years ago. This remains a significant challenge that hinders improvements in survival and psychosocial outcomes. Given the increasing incidence of cancer in this cohort, strategies to improve access to research and, consequently, outcomes are urgently required. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current challenges and propose evidence-based solutions to recruitment and retention to research facilitating more effective and inclusive cancer studies for AYAs. Articles can include but are not limited to:
Recruitment barriers/facilitators: Examining lack of awareness, institutional, professional, and policy barriers, regulatory and system considerations, acceptability of study design, approaches to patient navigation, involving young people in research design (patient and public involvement), barriers for underrepresented populations such as Indigenous groups, ethnic minorities, LBGTQI+, and neurodiversity.
Ethical issues: Navigating consent (particularly for younger AYAs at different developmental stages or complex needs).
Psychosocial Factors: Considering unique psychosocial factors, the influence of friends, family, peers, and lifestyle factors that influence research participation.
Recruitment interventions: Successful and unsuccessful case studies. Local and national initiatives to improve trial enrolment.
Global Perspectives: Understanding common recruitment challenges and strategies
Dr. Lorna A. Fern
Dr. Jeremy Lewin
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- adolescents and young adults
- research enrollment and retention
- clinical trials
- access
- barriers
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