Cancer is something that about 40% of Americans will get at some point in their lives. It is the second most common cause of death in the U.S., killing just under 20% of those who get it.

The American Cancer Society says that 88% of people who are diagnosed with it are 50 years or older. This makes it a disease of old age.

The National Cancer Institute says that colon cancer is becoming more common in younger people. People born in the United States between 1981 and 1996 have twice the risk of getting colon cancer as people born in 1950.

It’s not clear why, but the number of younger people with other cancers has also gone up.
A reproductive surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Dr. Ginger Gardner, said that after being told they have cancer, people often try to figure out what they did wrong and how they could have gotten sick.

They didn’t do much most of the time.

She told to reporter, “Cancer doesn’t always follow the rules.”

– Dr. Ginger Gardner

Ginger J. Gardner, MD, FACOG, a gynecologic surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, standing in her surgical scrubs.

The good news is that many kinds of cancer can now be lived with for years or even decades. The quality of life for people who have survived has greatly improved, and there are ways to make the chances better.

Barakat said it’s not clear why some types of cancer are becoming more common in younger people. The environment, changes in the gut bacteria, and obesity are some of the things that have been thought about. He said, “It’s pretty scary.”

Can you fully beat cancer?

“Whenever cancer happens, and certainly in a young population, it really does underscore the importance of several key teachable moments, or moments of awareness,” said Gardner.

She said the first thing is to pay attention to your body.

“If something feels different, be proactive and get it checked out,” she stated.

That could mean changes in bowel movements, pain or pressure in the pelvis, bloating, or bleeding from the rectal area, according to Dr. Richard Barakat, who is the chief medical officer and executive head of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute in New York and runs 21 hospitals and 10 cancer centers.

Screening can also help find some types of cancer early, when the chances of life are higher and the treatments are usually less harsh.

Federal guidelines say that people should start getting screened for cervical cancer at age 21, for colon cancer at age 45, for breast cancer no later than age 45 (but they can start at age 40), for lung cancer at age 50 if they smoke, and for prostate cancer at age 55 for people with an average risk for the disease (those with a higher risk should start earlier).

Cancers of the cervix, penis, and anus are just a few of the cancers that the HPV vaccine can greatly lower the chance of.

Genetics and family history can also be helpful, as more tests and treatments are now linked to specific genetic trends, Gardner said.

Some genes, like BRCA1 and BRCA2, are linked to certain cancers, like breast and ovarian, which is why some people get surgeries to keep those cancers from happening. Other genes, like Lynch Syndrome, can raise the risk for a lot of different cancers.

Gardner is very interested in gynecologic cancers because in the U.S., someone is diagnosed with one every five minutes, and she says that study into them gets way too little money. The five types of gynecologic cancer are cervix, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar.

“We are in a very exciting time of research and understanding the biology of these diseases better,” said Gardner. “Women’s cancers need more attention.”

Who is most likely to get cancer?

Every year, more than 600,000 Americans get cancer and about 1.6 million die from it.

In 2024, the American Cancer Society thinks that 611,720 people will die from some kind of cancer. It’s a little higher than it was a year ago, but a lot lower than it was in 1991. Based on the most current data from the group, the number of people dying from cancer dropped 33% between 1991 and 2021.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that in 2020, 1,603,844 new cases of cancer were found and 602,347 people died from cancer in the United States.

The most recent data from the CDC shows that there were just over 400 new cases of cancer and 144 deaths from cancer for every 100,000 people.

Why is cancer so common in the US?

The National Cancer Institute says that breast, lung, prostate, colon, rectal, and a type of skin cancer called melanoma are the most common types of cancer. Cancers of the prostate, lungs, and colon are most common in men. Cancers of the breast, lungs, and colon are most common in women.

The CDC says that limiting tobacco and alcohol use, eating a healthy diet without too many highly processed foods, and staying out of the sun too much can all help lower the chance of cancer.

Which race gets cancer the most?

US Cancer Prevalence by Race

In theThe United States, data shows that different racial and ethnic groups areat greater risk for multiple types of cancer. As per the American Cancer Society:

African Americans: The incidence for cancers like prostate, cylindrical or colorectal is more typical among them in comparison with other races.

Hispanic/Latino Populations: Overall lower cancer rates compared to non-Hispanic whites, but higher incidence rates for cancers such liver cancer.

Asian Americans:  In general lower cancer rates but increases in certain cancers (e.g., liver and colorectal cancers) in certain subgroups

Number of Participants by Race/Ethnicity for 387,097 Individuals.

Cancer prevalence varies widely around the world, depending on geographic and socio-economic factors. Some key points include:

Caucasians: While melanoma and breast cancer are more common in developed countries such as those in North America and Europe.

African Population: High Inc margin — general HIV and HPV infectionsroscopic — such as cervical and liver cancer.

Asian Populations: About one-fifth of the world’s population is Asian. Parts of the continent (for example, in parts of Japan and Korea) report high rates of stomach and liver cancers.

Olympic Athlete and Cancer Survivor Inspires Youth to Chase Their Dreams

Chaunté Lowe is a four-time Olympian, three-time World Champion medalist and 12-time U.S. National Champion women’s high jumper. She is also a wife, mother, motivational speaker and breast cancer survivor.

As one of 14 members of the U.S. presidential delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympics, led by First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Chaunté again found herself in the Olympic spotlight — not as an athlete, but as an inspiration to “the next generation of champions.”

She’s highly qualified for the position.

Chaunté was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, but continued to train while receiving treatment from Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute medical oncologist Muhammad Imam, MD in Winter Park, Florida.

Supported by the two factors that guided her to realize her dream of being a professional athlete — hard work and bravery — Chaunté has navigated her cancer experience, what she explain as her “greatest challenge ever.” “It doesn’t matter what difficult and how long, you never quit,” she says.

Now Chaunté is a highly sought after motivational speaker with a message riddled with inspiration and resilience, reminding others of the power and greatness within us all. Chaunté kindly took some time when she came back from Paris to talk about what the experience means to her.