You Have Cancer: What Teens Want to Know

Hearing "you have cancer" is a lot to take in. You might have questions racing through your head, or you might feel completely blank. Both are normal. This page is for you — not sugar-coated, just honest.

Cancer in teens is uncommon, but it's real

Most people who get cancer are much older. Cancer in teenagers isn't common — in the US, an estimated 85,480 people ages 15 to 39 are diagnosed each year, which is only about 4.2% of all cancer diagnoses. So you are not the only one, even if it feels that way. The cancers that show up most in people your age include things like lymphoma, leukemia, thyroid and testicular cancers, melanoma, brain and spinal tumors, and sarcomas.

Whatever kind you have, it is treatable in ways that keep getting better, and there are people who work with teens like you every single day.

This is not your fault

Let's be clear about this:

• You did not cause your cancer. Not by something you ate, thought, said, or did.
• Cancer is not contagious. You can't catch it, and no one can catch it from you. You can still hug your friends, share food, and hang out.
• "Why me?" is a fair question — and the honest answer is that usually there's no reason. It isn't a punishment, and it isn't payback for anything.

However you feel is okay

There's no "right" way to react. You might feel:

• angry, like this is unfair (it kind of is)
• scared about what happens next
• numb, like it isn't really happening
• sad, or weirdly fine one minute and falling apart the next

All of that is normal. You don't have to be "brave" or "positive" all the time for anyone. If you want to talk to someone, your team has people for exactly that — including social workers and counselors.

You're still a teenager

Cancer is now part of your life, but it is not your whole life. You are allowed to:

• text your friends, scroll your phone, and laugh at dumb stuff
• listen to your music, play games, watch your shows
• care about normal teenager things — crushes, drama, plans, the future
• have days where you don't want to talk about cancer at all

Being a patient doesn't cancel out being a person.

Your team is bigger than you think

You're not doing this alone. Your team usually includes:

• doctors (like an oncologist) who plan and lead your treatment
• nurses who you'll see a lot and can ask almost anything
• social workers who help with feelings, school, and family stuff
• sometimes AYA or child life specialists — people whose job is helping people your age get through this

Ask anything

If you don't understand a word, ask what it means. If you're scared to know something, you can say that too. If you'd rather ask a question without your parents in the room, you can usually ask for that. No question is too small, too weird, or too much. Wondering "will I be okay?" is one of the biggest ones — and the people who can actually answer that for you are your own doctors and the trusted adults on your team. Ask them.