Need for Behavioral Interventions for Young Adults Living with Advanced Cancer in the U.S.

Lisa M. Gudenkauf; Rina S. Fox; Brian D. Gonzalez; Heather S. L. Jim; John M. Salsman; David E. Victorson; Stacy D. Sanford; Laura B. Oswald

doi:10.3390/cancers16101910

Cancers (May 2024)

Need for Behavioral Interventions for Young Adults Living with Advanced Cancer in the U.S.

Lisa M. Gudenkauf,
Rina S. Fox,
Brian D. Gonzalez,
Heather S. L. Jim,
John M. Salsman,
David E. Victorson,
Stacy D. Sanford,
Laura B. Oswald

Affiliations

Lisa M. Gudenkauf: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33216, USA
Rina S. Fox: Division of Advanced Nursing Practice and Science, University of Arizona College of Nursing, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Brian D. Gonzalez: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33216, USA
Heather S. L. Jim: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33216, USA
John M. Salsman: Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Division of Public Health Sciences, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
David E. Victorson: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Stacy D. Sanford: Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Laura B. Oswald: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 33216, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16101910
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 16, no. 10
p. 1910

Abstract

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The population of young adults (YAs) aged 18–39 living with advanced cancer is growing and faces a compounded set of challenges at the intersection of age and disease. Despite these substantial challenges, behavioral interventions tailored to YAs living with advanced cancer remain scarce. This commentary aims to (1) discuss the unmet psychological, social, and behavioral needs of YAs living with advanced cancer; (2) highlight the paucity of behavioral interventions tailored to this growing population; (3) offer recommendations for the development of behavioral interventions targeting the unique needs of YAs living with advanced cancer; and (4) describe potential far-reaching public health benefits of these targeted behavioral interventions.

Published in Cancers

ISSN: 2072-6694 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cancers/

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Abstract

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