There’s nothing sadder or more poignant than a young man or young woman with cancer. While this disease can of course strike anyone at any age, and while there are some cancers that prey on young people, historically we see most cancer in people over 50.
Tragically, that is changing fast. More young people are getting cancer per capita than ever before, according to several studies, including this one from JAMA Network Open, which looks at Cancer Incidence Among People Younger Than 50 Years in the US, 2010 to 2019.
Among the most common types of early-onset cancers occurring in people under 50 include colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer and pancreatic cancer. The findings show that this type of cancer, which historically has been a disease of older adults, is now preying on the young.
In this cohort study, the incidence rates of early-onset cancer increased from 2010 to 2019. Although breast cancer had the highest number of incident cases, gastrointestinal cancers had the fastest-growing incidence rates among all early-onset cancers.
The number of early onset cancer cases — those that occur in adults under age 50 — is rising by 1% to 2% annually, according to the American Cancer Society. An analysis of global health data published in the journal BMJ Oncology predicts a 30% jump in early onset cancers between 2019 and 2030.
These cancers affect a variety of organ systems, including the breast, colon and/or rectum, pancreas, head and neck, kidney, and reproductive organs.
The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that adults begin getting screened for colorectal cancer at age 45, rather than 50, due to a recent increase in early-onset cases.
The incidence of colorectal cancer in younger patients has in fact doubled in recent decades, says oncologist, J. Randolph Hecht, MD, director of the GI Oncology Program at UCLA Health and a member of the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
According to the American Cancer Society, cases of colorectal cancer among people younger than 50 have increased by 9% since 2020. And young Americans are beginning to take this seriously.
One of the leaders of this grassroots movement is Elizabeth Wachsberg, a cancer survivor like me who was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at a very young age. I was 35 when I was diagnosed with stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But that was a long time ago. There are more young cancer patients now.
Elizabeth shows us all that there is nothing more inspirational than a young cancer patient with a big smile.
I felt an immediate bond with Elizabeth when we talked this week. We have much in common. The passion to help other people as well as ourselves. She is so strong and assured. I just believe in my heart that she is going to be a long time survivor.
The difference between my cancer battles and Elizabeth’s is that when I had my first go-around with cancer decades ago, there were very few people who were my age who had cancer. Now, sadly, it is becoming more common, in multiple types of cancer.
It is of course due to many things, including so many toxins that are all around us all the time. There is also a human element. The world right now is stressed to the breaking point. That to me is another thing that can help cancer spread.
Wachsberg is a regular on TikTok, where she gives all kinds of smart, and often funny advice. She is a star. People know her. And her message is really simple: GET TESTED. I am proud to know her. I can’t think of a more noble and appropriate way of fighting back against your cancer.
She has inspired me and she has inspired many, many others. I’m glad to know her.
“It has been the very best and the very worst worst thing that has happened to me,” Wachsberg said.
“One moment I am striving to be able to be a person that people look to as a symbol of hope, and that can feel daunting. The people that I have met are one of the best things about all of this, but losing those people are some of the worst things about this. People think you are better when you are in remission but that is the hardest, the most damaging to my mental health. All of the sudden there is no daily routine. You have to deal with it all on your own.”
