(The Atlantic) – Younger adults are being diagnosed with cancers at more advanced stages, and may suffer from more aggressive tumors than older adults. In my work caring for these patients, I have seen the ways their age influences how their medical teams and families view them, the choices about treatment we hope they will make, the silence we maintain around their mortality. Their youth can become a justification to pursue physically devastating and at times ineffective treatment; the unspoken assumption is that they want to extend their life as long as possible, regardless of its quality. (Read More)