The EU-CAYAS-NET is an EU co-funded project bringing together 19 partners and over 40 associated partners across Europe. It aims to enhance care for children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer by facilitating meaningful connections between patients, survivors, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders across the European Union. One of the project deliverables is the patient-led initiative to develop recommendations on how to achieve the minimum standards of care across cancer care centres in Europe for adolescents and young adults. This resulted in the position paper titled "Recommendations and Implementation Roadmap for Minimum Standards of Specialist Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Care Units." This comprehensive document, developed through a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, outlines evidence-based recommendations and a strategic roadmap aimed at enhancing cancer care for adolescents and young adults across Europe.
The paper highlights the unique needs of AYA patients and provides actionable guidance on establishing minimum standards of care, including age-appropriate environments, clinical care organisation, and supportive services. It also presents eight key recommendations to support the implementation of these standards at national and European levels and are described in two parts:
A. A Checklist for standards of care organised into three chapters
1. Age-Appropriate Built Environment
2. Clinical Care Organisation and Patient Pathways
3. Support Services
B. implementation roadmap with eight recommendations
1. Develop a National Knowledge Hub
2. Invest in Training, Education, and Resource Optimisation
3. Integrate Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA)- specific Care Across All Cancer Treatment Settings
4. Access to Mental Health Services
5. Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs) Through Participation in Care Discussions
6. Integration and Interoperability of Healthcare Systems and Digital Health Platforms
7. Promote Research Innovation
8. Advocate for Policy and Practice Changes
We believe this position paper will serve as a key resource for MAYA’s ongoing research, supporting alignment with best practices and major policy initiatives such as Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. MAYA partners will work to incorporate these insights into project activities and contribute to the continued advancement of AYA cancer care.
