Review outlines integrated surgical oncology care for adolescents and young adults

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs), defined in the review as people aged 15–39 years, may develop either pediatric-type tumors or adult-onset cancers. Their care can cross pediatric and adult systems, affecting referral, clinical-trial access and treatment setting. The review examines epidemiology, systems-level barriers, biologic considerations and supportive-care needs relevant to surgical oncology, including biopsy, resection, metastatic disease management and fertility-preservation procedures.

The authors describe specialized or hybrid AYA-focused centers as a model integrating pediatric and adult expertise, multidisciplinary coordination, psychosocial support, fertility counseling and survivorship services. They highlight ongoing concerns including low clinical-trial enrollment, inconsistent access to age-appropriate supportive care, financial toxicity, and gaps in fertility-preservation coordination and long-term follow-up. The review also notes emerging evidence of age-associated differences in tumor biology. It proposes structured collaboration between pediatric and adult surgeons and age-informed care pathways, but the supplied text reports no new patient cohort or quantitative outcome estimates. The review therefore supports consideration of care organization rather than demonstrating that a particular model improves outcomes.