22-year-old diagnosed with thyroid cancer three times backs call for the Government to do more for young people with cancer

Phoebe Sproston was 17 when she was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Now 22, she has since relapsed twice.

This Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month, Phoebe is backing Teenage Cancer Trust’s #AndYoungPeople campaign which urges the Government to listen to the specific needs of young people with cancer as part of the creation of the National Cancer Plan for England.

“It’s not talked about enough,” she says. “There definitely needs to be more support. I think because you’re young you’re expected to bounce back much more easily.

“The thing that always gets me is people saying ‘oh you’re too young to have cancer’. You’re in that funny age gap, between 13 and 25 where you should be fit and healthy. And so, no one thinks it can happen to them until they know someone it happens to.

“When it was confirmed I had thyroid cancer the first time, I think the surgeon and the nurse expected tears, but I just thought: ‘This is hard, but what do I have to do next?’ I did have a lot of tears when I was by myself though.”

Phoebe moved to Manchester, but a routine blood test in November 2022 showed that her cancer was back. She had support from Charlene, Teenage Cancer Trust’s Outreach Nurse in the North-West, and – after she moved back home - Ami, Teenage Cancer Trust’s Outreach for Kent. Then in September 2024 she relapsed for a third time. After further surgery and treatment she is currently waiting for results of blood tests that will tell her whether she is cancer free.

Phoebe said: “Things would have been a lot different without Ami’s support the second time around. I know things would have been a lot easier if she was in post when I was first diagnosed. I wouldn’t have suffered as much if I had her support as she makes everything better. She is great and makes such a difference.

“Not only was Ami supportive during that treatment, but she said she would be around for support for two years after that. It is great that you are not just left alone as there are a lot of long-term effects from the cancer. Sometimes you don’t want to talk to family and friends as they don’t get it, but because Ami has worked with a lot of young people, she does get it.”

Teenage Cancer Trust’s #AndYoungPeople campaign highlights how having cancer as a teenager or in your early 20s is different to having it as a child or older adult. There are unique challenges – for example getting a cancer diagnosis in the first place is harder for teenagers and young adults. In a 2023 survey, nearly half (48%) of teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer had to see their GP three or more times before referral – the most out of any age group.

They also often fall through the cracks when it comes to accessing potentially lifesaving clinical trials because of age restrictions, and access to critical mental health support is patchy. And – as a backdrop to all this – more young people are getting cancer than ever before.

Teenage Cancer Trust have published an open letter on their website, urging the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to listen to the voices of young people in creating the upcoming National Cancer Plan. They are calling on members of the public to add their names to the letter at teenagecancertrust.org/pledge to show support.

Phoebe said: “In the last five years I’ve had no stability in life and that’s really damaging to a young person to not have that. For a quarter of my current life I’ve had cancer on and off – it's so detrimental. I need counselling not to talk about my cancer, but to talk about all the things behind it.”

Kate Collins, Chief Executive at Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “Cancer is different for teenagers and young adults than it is for children and older adults – and yet they’re often overlooked. That’s why we’ve launched our #AndYoungPeople campaign, urging the Government to listen to the unique needs of young people with cancer as part of the upcoming National Cancer Plan for England.

“There’s an opportunity right now for the Government to make a huge difference to the health of a generation – a difference that will have a real impact on their commitment to tackle the biggest killers and build a UK where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.”