Adolescents and young adults: A study of distribution of cancer at ages 15–39 years in a tertiary care hospital from North India: Epidemiological considerations

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze cancer pattern among adolescents and young adults (AYA) in a tertiary care center in North India. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study from January 2011 to December 2014 was undertaken on AYA cancer patients (aged 15–39 years). Results: Totally 1077 cases of AYA cancers were identified for analyzing the frequency and pattern of cancer distribution. The most common cancer was head and neck (32%) followed by breast (14.2%). The distribution pattern was observed to be varying in different age groups with lymphoma, leukemia, bone tumors, and sarcomas in adolescents while carcinomas being more frequent in young adults. Conclusion: Cancer distribution patterns are distinct among AYA in terms of epidemiology and biology.

Keywords

• Adolescents
• carcinoma
• epidemiology
• sarcoma
• young adults