Legal Frameworks, Institutional Barriers and Unmet Needs of Young University Students With Cancer in Italy: A Call to Action
14 affiliations
- 1Azienda Ospedaliero‐Universitaria di Modena
- 2C'è Tempo ODV
- 3Regina Margherita Children's Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera‐Universitaria Città Della Salute e Della Scienza, University of Torino
- 4IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù
- 5CRO Centro di Riferimento Oncologico IRCCS
- 6IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital
- 7Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV‐IRCCS
- 8Ospedale Vito Fazzi
- 9Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo Dei Tintori
- 10Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Dei Tumori di Milano
- 11Policlinico di Bari
- 12Hospital of Prato, Azienda USL Toscana Centro
- 13European Institute of Oncology IRCCS
- 14University of Milan
Abstract
University students with cancer in Italy face major barriers in maintaining their academic pathways despite existing disability legislation. This brief communication combines an overview of the Italian legal and institutional context with findings from a community‐led qualitative descriptive needs‐assessment. Following a national social media call, the analysis included semi‐structured interviews with 69 eligible participants. Interviews were documented through contemporaneous written notes and analyzed manually using descriptive content analysis, combining domains from the interview guide with recurrent categories identified in open‐ended responses. Participants described administrative burdens, inconsistent recognition of cancer‐related needs, limited access to remote learning and flexible examinations, marked variability in university support, emotional distress, and social isolation. These findings provide preliminary real‐world evidence of how existing arrangements are experienced by Italian university students affected by cancer. Although specific interventions were not evaluated, the findings may inform the development and prospective assessment of more consistent academic accommodations, accessible information, individualized support, and integrated psychosocial services.
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BibTeX
@article{toss2026legal,
title = {{Legal Frameworks, Institutional Barriers and Unmet Needs of Young University Students With Cancer in Italy: A Call to Action}},
author = {Angela Toss and Laura Marziali and Paola Quarello and Giuseppe Maria Milano and Maurizio Mascarin and Alberto Puccini and Marco Maruzzo and Assunta Tornesello and Marco Spinelli and Alexia Francesca Bertuzzi and Alice Indini and Teresa Perillo and Giacomo Giulio Baldi and Marina N. Rosanu and Claudia Colombo and Andrea Ferrari and Fedro Alessandro Peccatori},
journal = {Cancer medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/cam4.72414},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13691298},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Legal Frameworks, Institutional Barriers and Unmet Needs of Young University Students With Cancer in Italy: A Call to Action
AU - Angela Toss
AU - Laura Marziali
AU - Paola Quarello
AU - Giuseppe Maria Milano
AU - Maurizio Mascarin
AU - Alberto Puccini
AU - Marco Maruzzo
AU - Assunta Tornesello
AU - Marco Spinelli
AU - Alexia Francesca Bertuzzi
AU - Alice Indini
AU - Teresa Perillo
AU - Giacomo Giulio Baldi
AU - Marina N. Rosanu
AU - Claudia Colombo
AU - Andrea Ferrari
AU - Fedro Alessandro Peccatori
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Cancer medicine
DO - 10.1002/cam4.72414
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13691298
AB - University students with cancer in Italy face major barriers in maintaining their academic pathways despite existing disability legislation. This brief communication combines an overview of the Italian legal and institutional context with findings from a community‐led qualitative descriptive needs‐assessment. Following a national social media call, the analysis included semi‐structured interviews with 69 eligible participants. Interviews were documented through contemporaneous written notes and analyzed manually using descriptive content analysis, combining domains from the interview guide with recurrent categories identified in open‐ended responses. Participants described administrative burdens, inconsistent recognition of cancer‐related needs, limited access to remote learning and flexible examinations, marked variability in university support, emotional distress, and social isolation. These findings provide preliminary real‐world evidence of how existing arrangements are experienced by Italian university students affected by cancer. Although specific interventions were not evaluated, the findings may inform the development and prospective assessment of more consistent academic accommodations, accessible information, individualized support, and integrated psychosocial services.
SN - 2045-7634
ER -