The Not-So-Good Cancer: Psychosocial Challenges for YA Thyroid Cancer Patients and Survivors and the Creation of a YA Thyroid Cancer Support Group.
Sara L Lampert-OkinPublished in: Journal of adolescent and young adult oncology (2024)
Thyroid cancer (TC) has been deemed "the good cancer" owing to its slow growth, availability of targeted treatment, and low mortality rates. Inconsistent with this name, survivors of TC have similar or poorer quality of life than individuals with other types of cancer. Furthermore, young adults (YAs; age 18-35) with TC are at risk for additional psychosocial challenges. Support groups have been identified as a mechanism for improving quality of life among other YAs with cancer. A YA TC group is warranted given the unique experiences of TC survivors. Discussion points from a newly developed YA TC support group are reviewed.