Cancer diagnoses in people under 50 are on the rise. We’re not exactly sure why, but we’re seeing a particular uptick in breast cancer, lymphoma and colorectal cancer cases among younger adults.
A few other cancers, such as testicular, kidney and pancreatic, have increased as well, though they remain pretty uncommon in patients younger than 50.
Here are several symptoms that may indicate cancer in the young.
Bowel changes
For colon cancer, we specifically worry about changes when a person goes to the bathroom.
If the stool looks different — it’s darker, a different caliber or blood is present — that’s a concern.
These are abnormalities that should prompt follow-up with a medical professional.
We’ve tracked the colorectal cancer increase in the US and around the world over the last decade. We think the rise is related to environmental and dietary changes, but we have not yet pinpointed the exact cause.
Unintentional weight loss
People with cancer could experience unintentional weight loss, early satiety (feeling full quickly when eating), a change in energy levels or a shift in sleep patterns.
These are very general things, and usually they don’t mean cancer, but sometimes they could be the first sign that something is wrong.
The most prominent of these symptoms is unintentional weight loss. Usually, people don’t lose weight without effort.
If someone loses weight unintentionally or notices that they no longer desire to eat, they should talk with their health care provider.
Lumps or abnormalities
One of the most frequent cancers in people under the age of 50 is breast cancer.
Often, a person detects an abnormality, like a lump, a change in skin color or breast discharge.
Another common cancer among young people — though it’s not a common cancer overall — is testicular cancer. Sometimes, a man will feel a lump or an abnormality in his testicle. If it’s painful or not, he should seek medical attention.
Skin lesions
Early signs of melanoma or other types of skin cancer can manifest as an abnormality in the skin.
Anything new or changing should cause a follow-up.
Unusual bleeding
There are other types of abnormal bleeding besides blood in the stool.
For example, blood in the urine can be an early sign of a problem in the bladder or kidneys.
Vaginal bleeding or bleeding after intercourse could indicate cervical cancer or potentially even endometrial cancer and should be checked out.
The good news is that cervical cancer has become less common in younger adults.
Night sweats
Finally, we get concerned if someone has night sweats or unexplained fevers or chills. That could be a sign of something brewing in the lymph system, such as lymphoma, or it could signal something else.
Swelling in the glands, including under the armpits or where the lymph nodes are, should certainly raise suspicion.
Other symptoms
- Easy bruising, frequent infections or fatigue could be signs of leukemia, a childhood cancer.
- Pain, broken bones or other discomfort may indicate a sarcoma.
- Vision changes, headaches or pain in the back could signal brain or spinal cord cancers.
- Unintentional weight loss, pain in the stomach, pain radiating to the back and sometimes jaundice — where the skin turns a little yellowish and the urine darkens — may mean pancreatic cancer, a rare disease that is becoming more common in people under 50.
How to lower your cancer risk
Some of the things people can do to reduce their risk of cancer include improving their diet, quitting smoking and increasing exercise, as well as following up on concerning symptoms and completing cancer-appropriate screenings for their age group.
Women under 50 should get a mammogram to check for breast cancer and a pap smear to screen for cervical cancer.
A colonoscopy to detect colon cancer is recommended for everyone 45 and older.
A prostate cancer screening is advised for certain men.
Screening for thyroid and blood cancers may be encouraged if a person has a family history.
It can be scary to talk about cancer symptoms, and it is worrisome that cancer rates are increasing among adults under 50.
However, we understand many of the risk factors for these cancers, and we have a lot of ways to screen for them.
We’ve been very successful at reducing cancer incidence in people over 50, so we’re optimistic that with focused research, more widespread screening and early intervention, we will be able to decrease cancer risk among people under 50 as well.
Paul E. Oberstein, MD, is a medical oncologist and the service chief of the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Program at NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center. He is also the assistant director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center at the Perlmutter Cancer Center. He specializes in treating patients with cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, including stomach, pancreatic, colorectal, bile duct and liver cancers.
