Illicit substance use and opioid misuse in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer.

205Background: Rates of illicit substance use and misuse of opioid medications are high in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) general population. Despite this, screening for substance use and opioid misuse is not standard in the care of AYA oncology supportive/palliative care. To inform our clinical practice, we sought to determine the prevalence of illicit substance use and potential opioid misuse in AYA cancer patients relative to adult patients and to examine correlates of use and misuse. Methods: We conducted retrospective chart review of patients newly referred to an outpatient palliative care clinic between 2014 and 2016. Results: Consecutive patients (N = 963) underwent urine drug testing as part of their initial visit; 16% of patients were between 18 and 39 years of age. Rate of illicit drug use was 31% for AYAs and 19% for adults. AYAs were nearly 2 times more likely to have positive results for marijuana (OR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.19 – 2.69) and nearly 3 times more likely to test positive for amph...