Khaberni - A new study found that one in ten teenagers and young adults diagnosed with cancer end up facing the most severe forms of the disease, where cancer returns and spreads to other parts of the body.
Researchers from the University of California, Davis, analyzed data from 48,400 patients aged between 15 and 39, who were initially diagnosed with non-metastatic cancer. Over a follow-up period of about seven years, it was found that 9.5% of these patients experienced cancer spread to other parts of the body.
The results showed that sarcoma—a rare cancer that affects connective tissue—and colon cancer were the most likely to recur and spread among the seven types of cancers included in the study. Researchers believe the difficulty in treating these types of cancer contributes to their high recurrence rates, even after the patients have reached a stable condition.
Dr. Anne Brunson, the study's lead author and analyst at the University of California, stated that improved survival rates in young patients pose new challenges, emphasizing that analyzing extensive statewide data aids in understanding disease recurrence trends and directing future research.
This study is the first of its kind to track cancer recurrence among youth on this scale. The researchers relied on data from the California Cancer Registry, covering cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2018, including types: melanin, sarcoma, breast, cervical, colon, testicular, and thyroid cancers.
The average age of the patients was 33 years, and women constituted 67% of them. Those aged between 30 and 39 accounted for about 60% of the participants, followed by 28% for the age group between 20 and 29 years, and 4% for those between 15 and 19 years old.
Thyroid cancer was the most common at 28.5%, followed by breast cancer (25%), testicular (14.5%), and skin cancer (13%). Sarcoma was the least prevalent (4.5%).
In contrast, sarcoma accounted for 24.5% of cases where the disease returned and spread, followed by colorectal (22%), cervical (16%), and breast cancers (15%). It was also found that patients diagnosed in advanced stages—especially stage three—were more likely to have cancer recurrence, with rates exceeding 30% across different types.
The study revealed that patients whose cancer returned and spread were three times more likely to die. The risk of death among patients with cervical, skin, sarcoma, and colon cancers ranged between 1.5 and 2 times higher, while no increase in death risk was recorded for those with testicular or thyroid cancers when the disease recurred.
Despite the rarity of cancer among young adults—with about 80,000 Americans aged between 20 and 39 diagnosed annually, only 4% of total cases—incident rates have risen in recent years. A study published in May reported an increase in 14 types of cancers among those under fifty, with colon and breast cancers being the most notable.
The causes of this increase remain unclear, and doctors attribute it to a combination of factors including obesity, lack of physical activity, microbiome disorders, and environmental toxins, without providing a complete explanation for the occurrence of the disease in individuals who are otherwise fit and healthy.
