Transition
This TYAC best practice statement discusses some of the key issues relating to transition and outlines principles for best practice that can be adapted to individual services and transition in all settings. These principles are set out against an assumption that all young people within the TYA age range will be discussed at a designated cancer MDT for both their age range and cancer type.
Arrangements for transition of teenagers and young adults (TYA) within cancer services will vary across the country as service configuration is diverse, and the age criteria for paediatric and adult services are not standardised.
Cancer services for teenagers and young adults are increasingly recognising the importance of patient choice in negotiating complex care pathways in cancer care.
The growth of teenage and young adult teams, based around TYA Principal Treatment Centres, TYA Designated Hospitals and TYA multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), are providing young people with a genuine opportunity to transition from paediatric to adult services via a service that is designed for them.
However, development of discrete teenage and young adult services has created two points of transition, from paediatric to TYA services and TYA to older adult services.