Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month 2025: Time to amplify the voices of teenagers and young adults with cancer

April marks the third annual Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month (TYACAM). TYACAM was launched in 2022 by a consortium of UK cancer charities, including Young Lives vs Cancer, to raise awareness of the unique challenges young people experience when facing a cancer diagnosis and create a space to share their stories.

Young people are already at a crossroads in their lives as they navigate increased independence, exams, and many firsts – first job, first date, first day at college. A cancer diagnosis makes these new experiences all the more challenging.

Recent research conducted by Young Lives vs Cancer and its partners found that many young people with cancer struggle with loneliness and have a strong need for connection. In particular:

• Over half of those diagnosed with cancer as a teenager or young adult report needing help dealing with sadness, frustration and anger related to their cancer.
• Two thirds of those diagnosed with cancer as a teenager or young adult report needing to feel like a ‘normal’ young person, which they lost because of their cancer.
• Over half of those diagnosed with cancer as a teenager or young adult report needing to spend more time with friends.

Throughout the month of April, Young Lives vs Cancer will be sharing the stories of young people with cancer to amplify their voices and raise awareness of their experiences. Among the young people the charity has spoken to are Isobel, 23 and Josh, 24, who said: 

“‘Even though many young people are able to get out the other side of their cancer experience, as I have done, it takes a unique toll. We are at a time of our life that is irreplaceable – school, university, early career. To be forced to give that up, even temporarily, is a blow, it leads to a real feeling of isolation and otherness. And at a time of our lives when body image is so important and when we are changing and trying to build up confidence, losing hair and weight is extremely difficult. The sooner we diagnose cancer, the better prognoses we can get for young people so raising awareness for the disease in young people is essential through initiatives like the Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month.” 

From the moment of diagnosis, Young Lives vs Cancer’s specialist social workers provide day-to-day support for every young person and their family, to make sure voices are heard, and unique needs are understood.

To find out more about the experiences of teenagers and young people living with cancer, keep an eye on Young Lives v Cancer social media throughout the month and amplify their voices by sharing, commenting or liking the posts.

Notes
Key statistics represent responses from those diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15-24 years old and are taken from Young Lives vs Cancer’s State of the System Report, produced in partnership with Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Teenage Cancer Trust. The research, carried out by Dartington Service Design Lab,  combines evidence and insight of the experiences of over 1500 young people, siblings and parents and carers whose lives have been affected by cancer in children or young people.

In 2022, Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and Young Lives vs Cancer set out as a collective group of four charities to fully understand the needs and experiences of children and young people with cancer. Together they joint-commissioned Dartington Service Design Lab to carry out an in-depth programme of research. This research combines evidence and insight with the experiences of over 1500 young people, siblings and parents and carers whose lives have been affected by cancer in children or young people. In June 2024, the State of the System report was produced, providing a robust and insightful evidence base for change. From this research, the partnership created its North Star Vision, a guiding light to help us reach our long-term ambitions and transform the future of cancer care for young people.

About Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month,
Now in its third year, Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month, was formed by various UK cancer charities, including Young Lives vs Cancer, Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association, to create a space for young people to raise awareness of their unique challenges and experiences.