Brain Tumour Research is proud to support the second Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month (TYACAM) taking place throughout April.
Around 2,400 young people aged 13 to 24 are diagnosed with cancer every year (source: Teenagers and Young Adults with Cancer (TYAC)). Of those, on average 260 are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year in the UK (source: Cancer Research UK). This is an opportunity to raise awareness of the unique challenges facing this age group when dealing with a cancer diagnosis and the huge impact of treatment.
The focus this year is on empowering young people to take control of their healthcare. We know many young people may find it difficult or embarrassing to seek medical help before, during or after treatment. They have very different needs to younger children and older adults facing this disease, so they need a special, tailored approach to improving cancer diagnosis, treatment, care and support.
Shaumya Kularajan, TYACAM Steering Group patient representative said: “I'm really excited about this year's TYACAM following the success of its launch last year. It's so important to have an awareness month focused on teenagers and young adults because we face a unique set of challenges on top of the weight of a cancer diagnosis. I hope that TYACAM will encourage us to have more conversations to learn from each other and raise awareness in the public.
“It is crucial for young people to feel empowered in healthcare settings, so that they feel able to advocate for themselves and their needs. Shared decision making helps young people to feel more in control, and taking time to learn about and understand a young person's priorities can enable us to focus on what matters to them.”
Brain tumours are among the top five most commonly diagnosed cancers in young people aged 15 to 25 (source: TYAC). Our Director of Research, Policy and Innovation, Dr Karen Noble, said: “Brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. Tragically, the disease kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Several of our Centres of Excellence are researching paediatric brain tumours with our most recent Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research committed to exclusively researching and identifying new treatments for high-grade glioma brain tumours occurring in children and young adults. But in order to bring hope to these patients and their families, increased funding for research is vital.
“We have seen that increased investment in research for other cancer types has led to improvements in patient survival, which is why our new manifesto calls on the Government to unlock £40 million of allocated research funding to provide new hope for patients and their families. It’s time to do things differently and put an end to brain tumours devastating young lives.”
Search #TYACAM to follow Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month and find out how the charities are raising awareness and how you can get involved this April.
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