Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Program

What's New​​

Newsletter

AYA Resources

Approximately 1,500 adolescents and young adults (ages 15 to 39) are diagnosed with cancer each year at Princess Margaret. It is important to realize that these patients have unique psychosocial needs and concerns that need to be addressed. Click on a topic below to learn more and access related resources.

Advanced Cancer

Body Image

Cancer-Specific Communities

Diet and Nutrition

Exercise and Fitness

Family and Caregiver Support

Financial Support

Fertility

Palliative Care

Psychosocial Support

Sexual Health

School and Work

Smoking Cessation

Virtual Support

The Team​

Dr. Abha GuptaMedical Director, AYA Program

Marlie SmithInterim Clinical Nurse Specialist

Jennifer Catsburg
(On Leave)Clinical Nurse Specialist

Luxshiga PremakumarProgram Coordinator

Emily Barca​Social Worker

Dr. Chana KorenblumPhysician, Psychosocial Oncology

Dr. Kim EdelsteinClinical Neuropsychologist

Dr. Ahmed Al-AwamerPhysician, Palliative Care

Dr. Pamela MosherPsychiatrist

Dr. Norma D'AgostinoClinical Psychologist

Dr. Aliza PanjwaniClinical Psychologist

Dr. Jonathan AveryPsychosocial Researcher

Dr. Scott AdamsKinesiologist

Sharon D'SouzaPOGO/AYA School and Work Transitions Counsellor​
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AYA Newslet​ters

Latest edition: March 2023

 

Read the latest newsletter​ [PDF, opens in new window] »

• AYA Yoga: March 16
  
• AYA Meet Up: March 22​
  
  

Past editions:

​About AYA Meet-Ups

The AYA Meet-Ups are facilitated meet-up sessions for young adults under 39 with any type of cancer. Supporters (friends, family and partners) are welcome.​​ At this time, the meet-up is run as a virtual monthly event.

Registration

Registration is required by phone or email. Call 416 946 4501 ext. 3547 or email aya@uhn.ca​ to register and receive the meeting link.​​​​

Personal Stories

Read Stories from AYA Community Members 

Alyssa's Story: My Life - Living With Multiple Myeloma

 

I have been living with multiple myeloma for 10 years now, but what makes my story unique is I am only 42 years old. It is possible to live a full life, even when you are diagnosed with an incurable cancer at 32.

Continue reading Alyssa's story »

Emily's Story: Reaching New Goals

 

I was 27 and had just moved to Toronto to pursue my legal career and finally live with my husband. We were married the year before and living long-distance while I was in law school. On August 26, 2015, I had to put my career on hold to endure a year of treatments for triple positive, stage three breast cancer.

Continue reading Emily's story »

Dory's Story: Focusing on the Positives

 

Dory Kashin remembers "complete shock" when she got her cancer diagnosis. At 29, she was established in a busy career as an event planner, enjoying living in Toronto, and in a committed relationship with her boyfriend of two years.

Continue reading Dory's story »

Adriana's Story: "It’s just cancer; I’m going to be all right."

 

I was seventeen and in Grade 12 when I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). It was December 1, 2014, a Monday morning, when I was trying out for soccer and the coach told us to run some laps.

Continue reading Adriana's story »

Brandon's Story: Finding My New Normal

 

Before cancer I was living the dream. I was 26, had a great job, amazing friends, a supportive family, and was living in downtown Toronto. I had a clear sense of where I was and where I was headed.

Continue reading Brandon's story »

Julia's Story: Joyful in Hope

 

Being diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer at the age of 26 was not the fertility clinic outcome I was hoping for. My husband and I had been trying for a year and a half when we received this shocking news.

Continue reading Julia's story »

Suzanne's Story

 

2016 was supposed to be the year we were going to buy a house and start a family of our own. We had recently returned from a trip to Australia in the spring when I received my diagnosis - Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I was shocked and deeply saddened.

Continue reading Suzanne's story »

The C Word: Young Adults Talk About Living with Cancer video series

 

​Seven young adult cancer survivors candidly answer questions about life, being young, and having cancer in this video series. Featuring Stephanie Sliekers, Carolyn Van, Kyla Demarco, Vinesha Ramasamy, Thomas Cantley, Alyssa Whiteman, and Peter Laneas.

Watch The C Word video series »

UHN and Princess Margaret Patient Stories​

Dory Kashin and her now husband were forced to think about family planning early on in their relationship when Dory was diagnosed with breast cancer two years into dating. Learn how the Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Program at Princess Margaret helped her navigate her diagnosis.

• Read 'Patient credits the Princess Margaret with helping her navigate cancer diagnosis'

Five-time cancer survivor Sabrina Fuoco shares her remarkable story in this four part series.

• Read 'Dear cancer, part one'
• Read 'Dear cancer, part two'
• Read 'Dear cancer, part three'
• Read 'Dear cancer, part four'

Laurie Tucker, Wig Salon Specialist and Kevin LeNeve, Radiation Therapist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, are the 2015 recipients of the Michael Kamin Hart Award for Excellence in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Care.

• Read 'What it means to "show up" for young adults with cancer' 

"One of the reasons cancer is so difficult for young people is because you're at a point in your life when you're still growing and evolving, and trying to figure out who you are."

• ​Read 'When cancer strikes at 29'

Adriana Lombardo had plans: to attend high school graduation, to spend a post-grad trip in Spain and to start school at George Brown College in September.

• Read 'World Cancer Day: Adriana's story'​

The AYA program recently hosted a Look Good Feel Good event for young adult patients on Jan. 21. 

• Read 'Cancer under 40: How young adults manage diagnosis'

Vibrant, intelligent and compassionate – Michael Kamin Hart was diagnosed with lymphoma and passed away on June 5, 2011 at the age of 25. His family created the Michael Kamin Hart Award for Excellence in Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Care in his honour.

• Read 'Family continues son's legacy with oncology award' ​​
  

Publications

1. Peer support needs and preferences for digital peer navigation among adolescent and young adults with cancer: A Canadian cross-sectional survey [opens in new window]. Current Oncology (2022). Authors: Bender JL, Puri N, Salih S, D'Agostino N, Tsimicalis A, Howard AF, Garland SN, Chalifour K, Drake EK, Maratto A, McKean NL, Gupta AA.
2. Looking back to move forward: Lessons learned from a successful, sustainable, replicable model of adolescent and young adult program of a tertiary cancer care center [opens in new window]. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol (2022). Authors: Pitch N, Stefaniuk S, MacMillan M, Catsburg J, Gupta AA, Vora T.
3. Preliminary findings of focus group analysis to support the needs of adolescent and young adult patients and survivors of cancer: Steps toward a national adolescent and young adult supportive care program [opens in new window]. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol (2021). Authors: Vora T, Chapman S, Uppal S, Shanawaz S, Emanuele C, Gupta AA, Avery J.
4. Peer support needs of adolescents with cancer in pediatrics: A Canadian mixed methods study [opens in new window]. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol (2021). Authors: Weidman D, Gupta AA, Bender J, Klinger C, Colquhoun H, Desmarais P, Stevens K.
5. Internet and social media use in cancer patients: association with distress and perceived benefits and limitations [opens in new window]. Support Care Cancer (2021). Authors: Jacqueline Bender, Katrina Hueniken, Lawson Eng, M Catherine Brown, Shayan Kassirian, Ilana Geist, Karmugi Balaratnam, Mindy Liang, Chelsea B Paulo, Arielle Geist, Pryangka Rao, Alexander Magony, Elliot C Smith, Wei Xu, Geoffrey Liu, and Abha A Gupta.
6. Letter to the Editor: Music meet up -- Preliminary results of a novel music therapy group intervention for adolescents and young adults with cancer [opens in new window]. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol (2021). Authors: Samadi M, Avery J, Black SR, Gupta AA, Korenblum CB.
7. Supporting the needs of adolescents and young adults: Integrated palliative care and psychiatry clinic for adolescents and young adults with cancer [opens in new window]. Cancers (Basel) (2021). Authors: Abdelaal M, Mosher PJ, Gupta AA, Bannon B, Cameron C, Berman M, Moineddin R, Avery J, Mitchell L, Li M, Zimmermann C, Al-Awamer A.
8. Preferences for exercise and physical activity support in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: A cross-sectional survey [opens in new window]. Supportive Care in Cancer (2021). Authors: Adams SC, Petrella A, Sabiston C, Vani MF, Gupta AA, Trinh L, Mathew AG, Hamilton RJ, Santa Mina D.
9. Young Adult Cancer Survivorship: Recommendations for Patient Follow-up, Exercise Therapy, and Research [PDF, opens in new window]. JNCI Cancer Spectrum (2021). Authors: Scott C Adams, Jennifer Herman, Iliana C Lega, Laura Mitchell, David Hodgson, Kim Edelstein, Lois B Travis, Catherine M Sabiston, Paaladinesh Thavendiranathan, and Abha A Gupta.
10. Health-related social media use and preferences of adolescent and young adult cancer patients for virtual programming [opens in new window]. Support Care Cancer (2020). Authors: Reenika Aggarwal, Katrina Hueniken, Lawson Eng, Shayan Kassirian, Ilana Geist, Karmugi Balaratnam, Mindy Liang, Chelsea B Paulo, Arielle Geist, Pryangka Rao, Laura Mit​chell, Alexander Magony, Jennifer M Jones, Samir C Grover, M Catherine Brown, Jackie Bender, Wei Xu, Geoffrey Liu, and Abha A Gupta.
11. Fertility Preservation in Young Adults: Prevalence, Correlates, and Relationship with Post-Traumatic Growth [opens in new window]. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol (2020). Authors: Lauren C Daniel, Catherine M Sabiston, Morgan Pitock, Abha A Gupta, Karine Chalifour, Geoff Eaton, and Sheila N Garland.
12. Age differences in patterns and confidence of using internet and social media for cancer-care among cancer survivors [opens in new window]. J Geriatr Onc (2020). Authors: Lawson Eng, Jackie Bender, Katrina Hueniken, Shayan Kassirian, Laura Mitchell, Reenika Aggarwal, Chelsea Paulo, Elliot C Smith, Ilana Geist, Karmugi Balaratnam, Alexander Magony, Mindy Liang, Dongyang Yang, Jennifer M Jones, M Catherine Brown, Wei Xu, Samir C Grover, Shabbir MH Alibhai, Geoffrey Liu, and Abha A Gupta.
13. Evaluation of an Educational Whiteboard Video to Introduce Fertility Preservation to Female Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer [opens in new window]. JCO Oncol Pract (2020). Authors: Talia Greenspoon, Rebecca Charow, Janet Papadakos, Mahsa Samadi, Anne Marie Maloney, Chelsea Paulo, Victoria Forcina, Li Chen, Adrian Thavaratnam, Laura Mitchell, Armando Lorenzo, and Abha A Gupta.
14. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Intervention for Young Adults with Cancer: A Pilot Mixed-Method Study [opens in new window]. J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol (2020). Authors: Rinat S Nissim, Amanda Roth, Abha A Gupta, and Mary Elliott.
15. Crucial Conversations: Addressing informational needs of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer [PDF, opens in new window]. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (2018). Authors: Laura Mitchell, Seline Tam, and Abha A. Gupta
16. Measuring the Impact of an Adolescent and Young Adult Program on Addressing Patient Care Needs [PDF, opens in new window].  Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (2018).  Authors: Laura Mitchell, Seline Tam, Jeremy Lewin, Amirrtha Srikanthan, Carol Heck, David Hodgson, Branavan Vakeesan, Hao-Wen Sim, and Abha A Gupta
17. Perceptions and attitudes towards clinical trials in adolescent and young adults with cancer: a systematic review [PDF, opens in new window].  Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics (2018).  Authors: Victoria Forcina, Branavan Vakeesan, Chelsea Paulo, Laura Mitchell, Jennifer AH Bell, Seline Tam, Kate Wang, Abha A Gupta and Jeremy Lewinz
18. Perceptions of and decision making about clinical trials in adolescent and young adults with Cancer: a qualitative analysis [PDF, opens in new window].  BMC Cancer (2018). Authors: Jennifer AH Bell, Victoria Forcina, Laura Mitchell, Seline Tam, Kate Wang, Abha A Gupta and Jeremy Lewin
    
19. Sexual health issues for the young adult with cancer: an international symposium held during the first global adolescents and young adults cancer congress (Edinburg, United Kingdom) [PDF, opens in new window].  Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (2018).  Authors: Laura Mitchell, Jeremy Lewin, Julia Dirks, Kate Wang, Seline Tam, Anne Katz, Beth McCann, Kirk Lo, Valerie Laurence, Christine Rousset-Jablonski and Abha A Gupta
20. Fertility preservation in post-pubescent female cancer patients: A practical guideline for clinicians [opens in new window].  Mol Clin Oncol (2018).  Authors: Amirrtha Srikanthan, Eitan Amir, Philippe Bedard, Meredith Giuliani, David Hodgson, Stephanie Laframboise, Anca Prica, Karen Yee, Ellen Greenblatt, Jeremy Lewin and Abha A Gupta
21. The positive effect of a dedicated adolescent and young adult fertility program on the rates of documentation of therapy associated infertility risk and fertility preservation options [PDF, opens in new window].  Supportive Care in Cancer (2017).  Authors: Jeremy Lewin, Justin Ming Zheng Ma, Laura Mitchell, Seline Tam, Natasha Puri, Derek Stephens, Amirrtha Srikanthan, Philippe Bedard, Albiruni Razak, Michael Crump, David Warr, Meredith Giuliani and Abha A Gupta
22. Adolescents and young adults: addressing needs and optimizing care with a clinical nurse specialist [PDF, opens in new window].  Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing (2017).  Authors: Laura Mitchell, Terri Stuart-McEwan, Hayley Panet and Abha A Gupta
23. Advanced practice nurses: improving access to fertility preservation for oncology patients [opens in new window].  Can Oncol Nurs J (2016).  Authors: Eleanor Hendershot, Anne-Marie Maloney, Sandy Fawcett, Sharmy Sarvanantham, Eileen McMahon, Abha A Gupta and Laura Mitchell
24. Improving access to standardized fertility preservation information for older adolescents and young adults with cancer: Using a user-centered approach with young adult patients, survivors, and partners to refine fertility knowledge transfer [opens in new window].  J Cancer Educ (2016).  Authors: Seline Tam, Natasha Puri, Derek Stephens, Laura Mitchell, Meredith Giuliani, Janet Papadakos, and Abha A Gupta
25.  Reimagining care for adolescent and young adult cancer programs: moving with the times [opens in new window].  Cancer (2016).  Authors: Abha A Gupta, Janet K Papadakos, Jennifer M Jones, Leila Amin, Eugene K Chang, Chana Korenblum, Daniel Santa Mina, Lianne McCabe, Laura Mitchell and Meredith Giuliani ​
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