The number of cancers diagnosed in adults under the age of 50 has increased in many parts of the world since the 1990s. Cancer rates among people aged 25 to 49 years rose by 22% in the United Kingdom between the early 1990s and 2018.
Dr. Yin Cao, a cancer epidemiologist at the University of Washington, Missouri, in the United States of America, said in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper, “Unfortunately, cancer is no longer a disease that affects the elderly (mostly), but rather it affects the young.”
Factors that increase the risk of cancer include obesity, which has been linked to 13 types of cancer. Other risk factors include sugary drinks, processed foods, and sedentary lifestyles.
Dr Kao adds that there are other elements that could be involved in the rise in cancer. “For example, our exposure to microplastics has risen dramatically over the past two to three decades,” she says.
How to reduce the risk of cancer?
Don’t worry, many types of cancer are very rare in younger people and survival rates are higher for people with cancer than for younger patients.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes eating healthy foods rich in fiber, exercising, and avoiding smoking are all factors that help reduce the risk of cancer. You should also consult a doctor if you notice sudden changes such as the appearance of lumps and swelling, unexplained fatigue and persistent pain, a change in moles on the body, or an unexplained weight change.
Here’s what you need to know about the symptoms of the 5 most common types of cancer in young people:
1- Throat cancer
The most common type of throat cancer in people under the age of 50 is nasopharyngeal cancer, which begins in the lining of the upper part of the throat, behind the nose and above the soft palate.
Symptoms may not appear, but when they do appear they may include: a lump anywhere in the neck area that does not go away after 3 weeks, hearing loss usually on one side only, ringing in the ears, headache, stuffy or congested nose (especially if it is blocked on one side). Only), blood-stained nasal discharge, nosebleeds, double vision, difficulty swallowing, facial numbness, hoarse voice, and weight loss. Another symptom is fluid accumulation in the ear.
2- Prostate cancer
The prostate gland is located at the base of the bladder, and is approximately the size of a walnut. Most prostate cancers start in the outer glandular cells of the prostate and are known as acinar adenocarcinomas. Many of these cancers grow very slowly and are unlikely to spread. But some can grow more quickly.
Prostate cancer does not usually cause symptoms in the early stages. Most prostate cancers start in the outer part of the prostate gland. This means that for cancer to cause symptoms, the cancer must be large enough to put pressure on the urethra.
If prostate cancer has already spread to other parts of the body (advanced or metastatic prostate cancer), it may cause symptoms such as: back or bone pain that does not go away with rest, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss.
3- Kidney cancer
The kidneys are made up of different types of cells. The type of cancer you have depends on the type of cell in which the cancer started. The most common type of kidney cancer is renal cell carcinoma. It begins in the cells that line the tubules (the smallest tubes) inside nephrons. The main type of renal cell carcinoma is clear cell carcinoma. Other types include papillary cell carcinoma and chromophobic cell carcinoma, both in other cells within the kidney formation.
Symptoms may include: blood in the urine, a mass or tumor in the kidney area, and pain between the ribs and hip.
4- Thyroid cancer
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland that makes and releases hormones. It is located in the front of your neck at the lowest part, behind the small cavity where the collarbones meet. You usually cannot feel a normal thyroid gland.
Symptoms include: a lump in your neck, a hoarse voice that lasts for more than 3 weeks, a sore throat, and difficulty swallowing that does not improve.
5- Colorectal cancer
Bowel cancer is also called colorectal cancer. The most common type of bowel cancer affects the large intestine, which includes the colon and rectum.
Symptoms include bleeding from the anus (rectum) or blood in the stool, or a change in your normal bowel habit, such as passing stools more frequently or constipation, a lump at the anus, often on the right side, weight loss, pain in the abdomen or anus. Fatigue and shortness of breath caused by a lower than normal level of red blood cells (anaemia).