Early-onset cancer diagnosis on the rise in younger adults

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It's called early-onset cancer and is defined as cancer diagnosed in people younger than 50. However, a 2023 analysis found 29 different cancers had risen nearly 80% globally between 1990 and 2019, including breast, lung, colon, and stomach cancers for young adults.Early-onset cancer is on the rise, and doctors say we need to be vigilant of our bodies, what we eat, and how we take care of ourselves.More importantly, we should listen to what our bodies are telling us.Jonathan Dewitt is just ​34 years old. He never imagined he would be talking about being diagnosed with cancer. "That was something...discomfort down there, you kind of pay attention to that. Something's very wrong, and I can't do that," he said."Immediately, I'm like, this isn't supposed to happen for another 20 to 30 years maybe, this is way too early," Dewitt said.He was in good physical health and played sports. He says he had discomfort for some time in his testicle before eventually going to get checked out."It felt like I got hit in the nuts. It was a couple of months of discomfort before I did something about it, and it already spread up to my lungs, so if I waited a little bit longer, it could have been a whole lot worse," said Dewitt.The cancer spread to his stomach, then parts of his lungs. Doctors say the number of younger adults diagnosed with early-onset cancer is increasing. Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, recently announced her cancer diagnosis; she's just 42 years old.Dr. Raju Vaddepally, with Lee Health Cancer Care Oncology Cancer Institute, says the numbers aren't slowing down."On average, every year, we are diagnosing 86,000 patients in the United States in adults and young adults; that's a scary number," he said. Researchers examined data from 204 countries and found there were more than 3 million cases of early-onset cancer in 2019, an astonishing increase of 79.1% from 1990."There are some modifiable risk factors that we are doing well or paying attention to as millennials that are putting quite a bit of burden on our biology and our system and increasing risks for cancers," said Dr. Vaddepally.Doctors say early screening is critical. "The emphasis I try to make to young patients and adolescents is to try to focus on your own health. It starts with you," said Dr. Vaddepally.Exercise and a healthy diet can help. Stay away from smoking and drinking too much. Doctors say research done on certain foods and chemicals shows our bodies are at risk of developing cancer sooner."Processed foods, canned foods, pesticides in the food, high among chemicals in the foods, they are directly linked to cancers," said Dr. Vaddepally.Jonathan says his life is a lot different now. He no longer takes his health for granted and understands things can change quickly, but says only you can speak up if something doesn't feel right."Nobody knows your body like you do. If your body is telling you something, listen to it, and if you feel something is really wrong, put your voice out," said Dewitt.Doctors say you know your body best. If something doesn't feel right, you have persistent pain, go to your doctor and let them know, so tests can be done right away.