Childhood cancer on the rise: colon cancer, pancreatic cancer



[ad_1]

  • Age is the most important risk factor for cancer and the median age for a cancer diagnosis is 66 years old.
  • While cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults is quite rare, there are at least 11 different forms of cancer that are increasing among young people.
  • Doctors suspect that lifestyle-related factors, such as poor diet and excess body fat, could play a key role in the treatment of some of these cancers, including cancers of the colon, kidneys and pancreas.
  • Visit the Insider Homepage for more stories.

Make no mistake, age remains the leading risk factor for cancer. The median age of cancer diagnosis in the United States today is 66 years old. Usually, cancer hits older people harder because cells get older and suffer more damage to the DNA causing cancer. But not always.

According to the American Cancer Society, less than one in 100 cancer diagnosed each year involves children. Similarly, in the UK, less than 1% of cancer cases occur in people under 24 years of age.

Nevertheless, the number of cases of certain cancers is increasing at an alarming rate among children, adolescents and young adults, and doctors fear that these diseases will cause even more health problems as young people get older. Here's what oncologists have on their radar.

[ad_2]

Source link