Mapping educational interventions for adolescents within the adolescents and young adults oncology framework: A...

Cancer education for adolescents (10-19 years) remains critically underdeveloped despite the profound disruptions the disease imposes on their developmental, psychosocial, and health-management trajectories. This scoping review mapped and synthesised global evidence on educational interventions designed for adolescents aged 10-19 years with cancer, following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches across major databases retrieved 20 eligible studies, with the evidence overwhelmingly concentrated in high-income countries and no studies emerging from Africa. Interventions varied widely in form and intent, clustering into digital/technology-based, psycho-educational, peer-mediated, and multicomponent models. Digital approaches, particularly serious games and web-based self-management platforms demonstrated strong acceptability and consistent improvements in knowledge and self-efficacy, though effects on adherence and psychosocial outcomes were mixed and often short-lived. Peer-mediated and psycho-educational interventions meaningfully reduced anxiety and strengthened coping by addressing relational needs central to adolescent development. Multicomponent models offered the greatest potential for holistic support but remain underrepresented and operationally complex. Across studies, persistent challenges were evident, including weak sustained engagement, limited personalisation, and a mismatch between individual-focused interventions and the broader structural barriers adolescents face within cancer care systems. These findings underscore that educational interventions can play a transformative role only when embedded within comprehensive, adolescent-responsive, and contextually grounded adolescent and youth (AYA) oncology frameworks. The review highlights critical evidence gaps-especially in LMICs.