Young adults' experiences with cancer: Comments from patients and survivors

OBJECTIVE: To examine the experiences with cancer of adults diagnosed when between 20 and 35 years old. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. SETTING: Largest health care region in the province of New Brunswick. PARTICIPANTS: Six men and 9 women cancer patients and survivors. METHOD: Fifteen adults interviewed when between the ages of 20 and 43 representing a variety of cancers and stages of disease were recruited for this study. Interviews were guided by a set of openended questions and explored participants' experiences with cancer from initial presentation of symptoms through to survivorship issues. MAIN FINDINGS: The most important clinical issue that emerged from the analysis was that participants' youth appeared to contribute to delays in diagnosis of cancer. These delays were attributed to either patients' or physicians' inaction. Some patients attributed their initial cancer symptoms to the adverse effects of alcohol or excessive partying; others feared a bad diagnosis and delayed seeking help. Family physicians frequently interpreted nonspecific symptoms as resulting from patients' lifestyle choices and were reluctant to consider a diagnosis of cancer. Several family physicians reportedly believed that persistent symptoms could not be the result of cancer because patients were too young. CONCLUSION: Although cancer is relatively rare in young adults, family physicians need to include it in differential diagnoses. Both patients and physicians tend to minimize cancer symptoms in young adults. Delays in diagnosis might not affect health outcomes, but can cause distress to young adults with cancer.