Objectives/Purpose: Those diagnosed with cancer between ages 25-39 years exist in a service and research gap, despite their complex stage of life. Being too old to receive services as Adolescents and Young Adults (‘AYA’ in Australia is defined as 15-24 years), and significantly younger than the average cancer survivor, their needs are rarely explicitly examined. This scoping review explores what is known about the survivorship needs of those aged 25- 39 years at diagnosis and discusses how these compare to the needs of those in other age groups.
Sample and Setting: The Biopsychosocial Model of illness used as a framework to guide evidence synthesis.
Procedures: The CINAHL, Medline, Psychinfo and Scopus databases, were searched in line with the (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, to identify research describing the needs and unmet needs of cancer survivors diagnosed while aged 25-39 years. English language studies using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods that specifically reported cancer related needs or unmet needs among people within the target age group were eligible for inclusion.
Results: From a total of 23780 individual studies retrieved, 41 met the inclusion criteria. The range of needs reported across these studies, mapped to the three biopsychosocial domains included: physical (physical side effects, reproductive and sexual); psychological (anxiety, depression, recurrence, self-blame); and social needs (spiritual and religious, work and career, financial communication). Across all these categories, most needs remained unmet. More general unmet needs for services and information were also identified. The priority and importance of needs differed among this age group compared to those older and younger, for example placing a greater emphasis on social needs in this age group.
Conclusion and Clinical Implications: The wide range of unmet needs among cancer survivors diagnosed between age 25-39 years, suggests that outcomes could be improved through better accessibility and development of age-appropriate services.