The biology of stress in cancer: Applying the biobehavioral framework to adolescent and young adult oncology research

The stress response influences the development and trajectory of cancer through a host of complex neuroimmune mechanisms. Basic, translational, and clinical research has elucidated these biobehavioral connections and offers a new paradigm for scientific investigation and patient care. Using a biobehavioral approach could offer new diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities in oncology, and this approach will be particularly impactful for adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer. To date, nearly all biobehavioral oncology research has been done in the adult population. And yet, AYAs have traditionally poorer mental health and cancer-related outcomes, and thus represent a population that could benefit from parallel psychosocial and biomedical intervention. Future biobehavioral work in oncology should focus on the AYA population, integrating new cancer therapies and technology into the next generation of research.