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Cancer Rates Increasing in Young People
People erroneously believe that cancer strikes later in life when the fact of the matter is a recent study showed that cancer diagnosis rates are actually rising in people below the age of 50. Among younger people, it appears that cases of cervical and colorectal cancer are notably rising.
Join Pacific Prime Thailand on this post today as we go through the rise in cancer rates for younger individuals so that you can stay safe and healthy.
Reports and Statistics on Cancer Cases
Based on new data published in the CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that the US could see over 2 million cancer cases this year, coupled with over 611,000 deaths. This report also found that the leading causes of death from cancer are lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer.
In the general population, there was a rise in breast, pancreas, prostate, kidney, and other common cancers. Meanwhile, researchers saw an increase in colorectal and cervical cancers for the younger population.
Age and Cancer
For individuals under the age of 50, colorectal cancer is currently the leading cause of death for men and the second leading cause of death for women.
According to Rebecca Siegel, MPH, “In people younger than 50, there’s been a steep decline in deaths from lung cancer, and then an increasing number of deaths from colorectal cancer. Those two patterns combined have produced this pretty rapid shift.”
Other reports and studies further support the idea of cancer cases increasing among the younger population, with a study in August seeing a 0.74% increase in early-onset cancer rates between 2010 to 2019.
Possible Reasons
Many researchers surmised that numerous environmental and lifestyle changes dating back to the mid-20th century contributed to increased exposure to risk factors earlier in life. The main suspect among these is obesity.
Obesity rose steadily in the US since the 60s and became more common among children and adolescents. Multiple cases of cancer in the younger population, including breast and uterine cancers along with colorectal cancer and others affecting the gastrointestinal tract, have been tied to obesity.
Other relevant factors include inactive lifestyles and lack of physical activities, along with increased alcohol consumption.
Cancer Prevention in the Meantime
As stated by Rebecca Siegel, MPH, people should do their best to maintain a healthy weight, stay active, quit smoking, and limit alcohol consumption, and eat more fruits and vegetables as opposed to processed or red meat.
The rise in cancer cases should also encourage people to get cancer screenings just in case.
Dr. Sean Burke, a body radiologist, said, “It’s important to emphasize things like seeing your primary care physician, getting your colposcopy done as soon as it is recommended, and just being aware and paying attention to your body. Be more mindful of anything out of the ordinary, any new symptoms that are developing.”
Dr. Burke also added, “We encourage people to seek care sooner rather than later, every little bit of time makes a big difference.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, simple things such as making some lifestyle and dietary changes can make a big difference in preventing cancer in your youth. From limiting alcohol and smoking to healthier diet and getting cancer screenings, every little bit of time and effort goes a long way.
With the growing awareness of cancer, there are many ways to seek treatment such as getting screenings and colonoscopy. However, such medical and treatment expenses can be costly. That’s where we come in, as Pacific Prime’s experts are happy to help you out!
As a global health insurance broker, Pacific Prime has over 20 years of experience in matching cancer patients to the right insurance plan that matches not only their budget, but also their unique medical needs.
Should you have any questions, please get in touch with us for impartial insurance advice or get a free quote today.
He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.
He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.
In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).
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