Babbage from The Economist (subscriber edition)
Early onset: why is cancer on the rise in younger people?
May 7, 2025
Join Ann Young, a physician who faced breast cancer in her 30s, as she shares her poignant journey through early-onset cancer. Slavea Chankova, health-care correspondent for The Economist, dives into the alarming rise in cancer diagnoses among younger individuals, exploring possible environmental links. Geneticist Mike Stratton discusses innovative genome sequencing research to identify mutational signatures related to this worrying trend. Discover the emotional challenges young patients face and the urgent need for further investigation into the causes of early-onset cancer.
38:50
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Quick takeaways
- The alarming rise in early onset cancers, particularly among those under 50, underscores the urgent need to explore possible environmental and lifestyle factors contributing to this trend.
- Young cancer patients, like Anne Young, experience unique emotional and physical challenges that necessitate specialized healthcare approaches tailored to their life stages.
Deep dives
The Shock of Early Onset Cancer
A 32-year-old doctor, Anne Young, experienced a life-altering diagnosis of breast cancer, a condition typically associated with older women. Initially dismissing the lump she found in her breast due to her active lifestyle and lack of family history, Anne's situation changed drastically when she felt more lumps and started experiencing other symptoms. This personal account emphasizes the emotional upheaval of receiving such a diagnosis at a young age, where plans for the future suddenly feel uncertain. The initial shock was not just a one-time event but an ongoing challenge, making everyday life feel surreal as she navigated treatment.
