Last week I met with national bone and soft tissue cancer charity Sarcoma UK to discuss some of the fantastic work the charity is doing to take action for children, teenagers and young adults diagnosed with sarcoma.
Despite its rarity amongst general population, sarcoma is sadly the third most common cancer to affect children, teenagers and young adults in the UK. To make matters worse, sarcomas have a worse survival rate than average for cancers affecting this age range, primarily because health professionals may not associate patient’s symptoms with sarcoma, and they may not consider sarcoma as a possibility due to a patient’s young age.
Despite the inevitable challenges presented by coming of age, being a teenager or young adult, should be one of the most exciting times of a person’s life. There are so many important decisions, and many start to experience freedom and independence for the first time.
When I think back to my teenage self, I cannot imagine hearing the words ‘you have cancer’. To those that do hear it at such a young age, it is no surprise that their plans, hopes and dreams all threaten to come crashing down.
Therefore, we must raise awareness of the distinct challenges this age group face and improve outcomes for young people with cancer.
As the Member of Parliament for Mid Sussex, I am proud to work with Sarcoma UK to help spread awareness of this rare cancer in young people. I know that the NHS has committed to meeting the Faster Diagnosis Standard so that by 2024, 75 per cent of patients who are urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer either have a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days. Furthermore, the NHS is prioritising the goal of meeting the early diagnosis ambition, so that 75 per cent of cancers are diagnosed at stage 1 or 2 by 2028.
Nevertheless, it is clear to see that more needs to be done to support young people, and to improve their experience through specialised services and research.
For more information about sarcoma in teenagers and young adults, please visit the charity’s dedicated TYA information page.
More general information on sarcoma, such as signs and symptoms, support, and how Sarcoma UK is funding vital research and campaigning for better treatments, is available at sarcoma.org.uk.
