TYA Advisory Group

The ECMC Teenage Young Adult (TYA) Trials Advisory Group was launched in 2025 to increase awareness of clinical trials available to TYA patients (aged 16–24).

What is it?

Feedback from experts working with teenagers and young adults (TYA) affected by cancer has revealed that lack of awareness about suitable trials is one of the biggest barriers preventing access to clinical trials for this age group.

To help address this, the ECMC launched the TYA Trials Advisory Group. The group's purpose is to create a dedicated forum for discussing complex TYA patient cases and identifying the most appropriate treatment or trial referral pathways.

The TYA advisory group operates through an online channel, facilitating real-time discussions about TYA patient cases. It complements existing local multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) and ensures representation from disease-specific MDTs and clinicians with expertise in the most prevalent TYA cancers.

Who is it for?

Health Care Professionals who want to discuss complex TYA patient cases and identify the most appropriate treatment or clinical trial referral pathways.

What are the potential benefits?

  • Improved TYA patient access to trials
  • Increased opportunity for suitable trial identification and referrals, including hard-to-recruit studies
  • Enhanced TYA patient recruitment volumes and timelines

TYA Overview

Aim

  • Increase awareness of trials available to TYA patients and help identify referral pathways into the most appropriate treatment/trials

Format

  • Microsoft Teams ‘channel’
  • Members post on an ad hoc basis
  • Patient discussion case form (based on paediatric relapse panel pro forma)

Membership

  • ECMC Network TYA Group Steering Committee members
  • Clinicians with expertise in TYA-relevant cancers (e.g. sarcomas, CNS, melanoma, germ cell, haematology); representatives with paediatric-trials portfolio expertise

Remit

  • Online forum to discuss complex TYA patients and their options for referral pathways into the most appropriate treatment/trials

How to access the group’s expertise?

If you’re an NHS staff member responsible for identifying trials for patients and would like to use the ECMC TYA Trials Advisory Group, please email a completed ECMC TYA Trials Advisory Group case form.docx to ecmcadmin@cancer.org.uk.