What was the impact of COVID-19 on Adolescent and Young Adult cancer care and their wellbeing? Results from a cross-sectional online survey conducted in the early stages of the …

Background: Due to the global spread of COVID-19, oncology departments across the world rapidly adapted their cancer care protocols, balancing the risk of delaying cancer treatments and risk of COVID-19 exposure. Little attention was given to the psychological impact of COVID-19 and associated changes on cancer patients. We wanted to understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on young people living with and beyond cancer. Method: We surveyed 177 individuals, aged 18-39 years, about the impact of COVID-19 on their cancer care and psychological wellbeing in a cross-sectional study. Participants also reported their information needs relating to COVID-19. Responses were summarized descriptively and qualitative answers were analysed thematically. Results: This is the first study to examine psychological functioning of young patients and survivors during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Close to a third of respondents reported increased levels of psychological distress, and as many as 60% reported feeling more anxious than they did prior to COVID-19. More than half also wanted more information tailored to them as young cancer patients. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly evolving and changing the landscape of cancer care. Young people living with cancer are a unique population and might be more vulnerable during this time compared to their healthy peers. There is a need to screen for psychological distress and attend to young people whose cancer care has been delayed. As the lockdown begins to ease, the guidelines about cancer care should be updated according to this population’s needs.