happen without a screening in the first place .
If you are under 50 , you need to realize that you are not too young to develop cancer . Too often people with symptoms of cancer below the recommended screening age are reassured that they are too young to have cancer and that their symptoms must be linked to something less troublesome . And too often this delay in diagnosis has tragic outcomes . Screening guidelines are written for people at an average risk . A relatively small but meaningful percentage of adults instead have a family history and risk profile that warrants earlier screening . Almost one in three individuals who develop colorectal cancer when they are younger than 50 have a genetic mutation or relevant family history . Those who learn that they have hereditary risk factors through genetic testing should also start screening earlier .
Low adherence to screening guidelines isn ’ t young people ’ s fault . Guidance around cancer screenings hasn ’ t adapted to reach younger audiences . Information should find you in places that are relevant to your life – such as the websites and apps you use most often . As with media , it ’ s become clear that younger people consume health care differently . Adults under 50 are less likely to have a primary care physician who can understand risk factors that inform where to begin screening and what tests to use . As a younger adult , you may experience more barriers to accessing health care . You may be more likely to make trade‐offs when seeking care , weighing health care co‐pays against payments for rent , student loans or other financial priorities . And with the gig economy reshaping the workforce , the traditional medical practice ’ s hours are inconvenient for many workers . We need
doctors and their services to be designed around your needs and convenience . Employer‐based programs can also act as an additional touchpoint to engage with workers early and often to close screening gaps .
Nearly half of newly diagnosed cancers in the U . S .— 42 percent , according to ACS researchers — are avoidable with a combination of prevention measures , such as eating a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy body weight . More than four million lives have been saved in the U . S . over the last 30 years because of a combination of cancer prevention – such as reduction in cigarette smoking – and improvements in early detection and treatments . With the right information about cancer risk , knowledge of screening and prevention options , as well as a path forward to receive the care they need , millennials can substantially reduce their risk of cancer . With two million cancer diagnoses in any age group expected in 2024 — a record high — reaching younger Americans is more important than ever .
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS KAREN E . KNUDSEN is chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network ( ACS CAN ).
More by Karen E . Knudsen OTHMAN LARAKI is chief executive officer of Color Health , a health care technology company and partner of the American Cancer Society that helps employers , labor unions and public health institutions take action against cancer through preventive health and disease management programs .
More by Othman Laraki
Source : https :// www . scientificamerican . com / article / cancer‐ratesare‐rising‐in‐young‐people‐heres‐what‐you‐need‐to‐know