Cancer is striking more people in their 30s and 40s.

[Diamond_Dog]

Cancer is striking more people in their 30s and 40s. Here’s what you need to know.

CNN
—
It’s World Cancer Day, and the outlook for winning the war against this deadly disease is both good and bad.

In the United States, deaths from cancer have dropped 33% since 1991, with an estimated 3.8 million lives saved, mostly due to advances in early detection and treatment. Still, 10 million people worldwide lost their lives to cancer in 2020.

In what doctors are calling a worrisome trend, cancer diagnoses are rising in younger people around the world.

“During the last three years, the No. 1 leading leading cause of death in the world was actually cancer, not Covid-19,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer for the American Cancer Society.

Symptoms of cancer can mimic those of many other illnesses, so it can be difficult to tell them apart, experts say. Signs include unexplained weight loss or gain, swelling or lumps in the groin, neck, stomach or underarms and fever and night sweats, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Bladder, bowel, skin and neurological issues may be signs of cancer, such as changes in hearing and vision, seizures, headaches and bleeding or bruising for no reason, the institute said. But most cancers do not cause pain at first, so you can’t rely on that as a sign.

“We tell patients that if they have symptoms that do not get better after a few weeks, they should visit a doctor,” Kamal said. “It doesn’t mean the diagnosis will be cancer, however.”

Cases rise in younger people

Rather than wait for symptoms, the key to keeping cancer at bay is prevention, along with screenings to detect the disease in its early stages. That’s critical, experts say, as new cases of cancer are on the rise globally.

A surprising number of new diagnoses are in people under 50, according to a 2022 review of available research by Harvard University scientists.

Cancer risk and mortality, especially for ovarian cancer, rose as more ultraprocessed foods were eaten, a new study found.

Ultraprocessed foods linked to ovarian and other cancer deaths, study finds

Cases of breast, colon, esophagus, gallbladder, kidney, liver, pancreas, prostate, stomach and thyroid cancers have been increasing in 50-, 40- and even 30-year-olds since the 1990s.

More
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/04/health/cancer-symptoms-screening-wellness/index.html

***** In my family we have weaned ourselves off of most ultra processed foods. Already have done away with most deli meats, sausage, bacon, ham, and red meat. Grass fed beef still as an occasional treat.

[cbabe]

1. Corporate/military causes: chemicals, pollutants, radiation. Labeling personal responsibility only

is a stressor.

[Diamond_Dog]

15. I agree

When you call out business practices that pollute the environment you’re labeled anti-business or a Commie tree hugger. I wish more of the powers that be would care.

[jimfields33]

18. But we're down 33 percent. The rest of the world needs to follow our example.

We are doing pretty well. Hopefully even our country gets even better results.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Rich man's diet with high doses of sugar and chemicals/pollution

The mess they've made almost cannot be cleaned up in most cases.

[Lifeafter70]

3. My son was dxed with ACC cancer on his 40th birthday

It's incurable, since 2016 he has ad two surgeries and two different types of radiation. We are grateful for the extra time the treatments gave him. His last round of radiation was in October of last year.

[Diamond_Dog]

5. Keeping good thoughts for your son, Lifeafter70

[Lifeafter70]

7. Thak you

[Irish_Dem]

4. We swim in a toxic soup and it shows.

In poor physical and mental health.

All the neurological problems with children and older folks.
Autism and dementia, etc.

[Diamond_Dog]

6. Yes, our environment is not a healthy one, for sure.

[Lifeafter70]

14. It is not healthy for sure

They are not sure what causes ACC cancer of the salivary glands but think it might be chemical exposure. It is rare so very little research has been done with this type of cancer.

[Diamond_Dog]

16. And in this country

We allow use of some chemicals that are banned in most other countries. Probably due to politics and lobbying in many cases.

[Lifeafter70]

17. Yes we do

And if you serve in the military as my son did you are exposed to many of them.

[Irish_Dem]

21. Yes very sad to say.

[appalachiablue]

10. ++

[appalachiablue]

19. ++

[appalachiablue]

8. Amen, & it seems to be normalized by some. I never saw this much cancer til the last 20+ yrs.

[Diamond_Dog]

13. appalachiablue, I'm a label reader

It’s appalling when you look at the list of ingredients on many food products… like a chemistry lab.

I realize you can’t avoid all of it, but just do the best we can.

[appalachiablue]

20. Same here, we avoid processed food, sweeteners, GMOs & other toxins as much as possible.

So many young people I read about have intestinal and autoimmune disorders, Crohn's, etc. No kids had this when we were growing up, it's the diet and pollutants.

I know a bright young man who had a myxoid sarcoma, the size of a softball removed at age 24. One of only 25 known in the world. Follow up w Sloan Kettering and the prognosis is OK.

The no. of Boomers we know dx with prostate and breast cancer grows each year, normalized almost.

It's a chemical laden, drowning in plastics world that will require decades to try to clean up. Bah!

[mucifer]

9. plastics everywhere in everything doesn't help

[Diamond_Dog]

11. Ain't that the truth.

[appalachiablue]

12. +1 Plastic pollution bigtime.

[NickB79]

22. Duh. There are a lot more obese and morbidly obese people in their 30's and 40's

It's no secret that being obese greatly increases your risk of developing a wide range of cancers. And the fastest way to become obese? Make ultra processed foods a key component of your daily diet. You can consume thousands of calories before dinner on them.

75% of all American adults are overweight; 40% are obese. The AVERAGE American man's waist is now 40"!!!

And unfortunately, obesity rates are skyrocketing globally thanks to the wide reach of these corporate food manufacturers and their ultra-processed, intentionally addictive pseudo-foods.

[Ms. Toad]

23. Another factor is the increase in autoimmune disorders.

Many autoimmune disorders are linked to cancer, so as autoimmune disorders increase - so does the risk of cancer.

My daughter has two autoimmune disorders: Ulcerative colitis (Dx age 4) and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (Dx age 18).

She has imaging for cancer every 6 months, and a colonoscopy every year (since age 18) because the combination of these two diseases significantly increases her risk for colon cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, gall bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, and liver cancer. She will soon start a new medication which increases her risk for leukopenia, and skin cancers.

My cancers probably aren't linked to my autoimmune disorder (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) - but I've got both breast cancer and a sarcoma.

And long term consequences of drug use also contribute. I have two friends - sisters - who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within 18 months of each other. In utero exposure to DES does not have an established link to pancreatic cancer, but there have been some suggestions that it may increase the risk for pancreatic cancer in women (but not men).