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An annual conference on cancer care in Cleveland is focusing this year on how the medical community needs to develop new ways to treat younger patients.

The two-day symposium at Case Western Reserve University brought together researchers, patients and parents to find out more about the latest innovations.

The organizers are hoping to raise awareness in the medical community that traditional cancer care is not always designed for people in their teens and early twenties.

 鈥淎lthough we're all sympathetic about every person with a cancer and maybe particularly a child with a cancer, that teenager and 22 year old is often that forgotten individual,鈥� said Dr. Stan Gerson, the director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Cancer in an adolescent often looks different than it does in an older individual, said Dr. John Letterio, director of University Hospitals Angie Fowler Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Institute.

It can be difficult for people in their 20鈥檚 when they are sent to a children鈥檚 cancer doctor for treatment, he said.

鈥泪迟鈥檚 not exactly an environment where you would expect to see yourself getting medical care,鈥� Letterio said.

Cancer in younger patients can also manifest in different ways than it does in older adults, said Gerson. Hormonal changes can make cancer cells develop much faster in teens.

鈥淎ll of a sudden, cells get exposed to growth stimulants that they never saw before. So that鈥檚 why this age group is so different,鈥� he said.

As people get older the cells in their body often slow down, he said.

鈥漇o the types of tumors that older folks get is so different than that of young adults,鈥� Gerson said.

That鈥檚 why more attention and funding are needed for teen cancer research, he said.

Some strides have been made already, though, said Elana Simon, a biomedical researcher who was diagnosed with a rare liver cancer at the age of 12.

 鈥淚 think over the last decade people have come to appreciate that there's a lot more nuance in how they categorize and treat different diseases,鈥� Simon said.

Simon, one of the conference keynote speakers, noted it is dangerous to ignore those nuances.

鈥淚f you have a child with liver cancer, it's much less likely going to be due to liver cirrhosis or alcohol,鈥� she said, 鈥渟o clumping the two together can be very confusing and create potentially inaccurate diagnoses or treatment plans.鈥�

The meeting kicked off on Thursday and continues until 4 p.m. Friday.