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Cancer in Young Adults Report Welcomed by Canadian Cancer Society 12
September
2006
TORONTO -
The Canadian Cancer Society welcomes the comprehensive report about cancer in young adults in Canada, released today by Cancer Care Ontarioin collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The report identifies and interprets trends in incidence and death rates in young Canadian adults aged 20 to 44 from 1983 to 1999.
“This report highlights an important health issue for young Canadians,” says Heather Logan, Director, Cancer Control Policy, Canadian Cancer Society. “While the majority of cancer occurs in older people, young people are not immune to this disease. This year, we expect more than 153,000 Canadians to be diagnosed with cancer and approximately 10,000 will be among young adults.
“Cancer is a devastating disease for anyone, but it can be especially difficult for young people who may be raising a young family, completing an education or building a career.”
Logan adds that it’s encouraging to see that overall incidence rates for young men are falling and stabilizing for young women, and that cancer death rates fell for both young men and women.
It’s also good news to see drops in incidence rates for some of the more common cancers among young adults:
- colorectal cancer for both young men and women;
- lung cancer and melanoma in young men;
- cervical and ovarian cancer.
“These declines suggest that the combination of public policies and individual action has been working to help prevent these cancers,” says Logan. “The Canadian Cancer Society actively advocates for healthy public policies and legislation to make it easy for people to adopt healthy lifestyles that can reduce cancer risk, and to protect them from cancer causing substances. We also provide information about all aspects of cancer, including risk reduction and prevention.
“We encourage young adults to become informed and take action against cancer. Find out what you can do to help prevent it, and learn the risk factors and the warning signs.”
Logan adds that because cancer can take many years to develop, cancer prevention is especially important in the younger years. “We also urge parents to get informed about cancer prevention for their children and teenagers.”
The Report notes that for the first time more young women than young men are being diagnosed with, and dying from, lung cancer.
“The lung cancer rates among young women are discouraging,” says Logan. “And we would like to see lung cancer incidence rates continue to drop among young men. This information confirms for us that we must continue our advocacy and education efforts to encourage Canadians not to smoke.”
Also of concern is steadily increasing incidence rates for: thyroid cancer in both young men and women; testicular cancer; and both non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma in women. Incidence rates for non-Hodgkin lymphoma are stabilizing in young men after steadily increasing from the early 1980s to 1994.
“Research has uncovered some explanation for these increases, but more is needed to provide more answers,” says Logan.
The Canadian Cancer Society supports the recommendations of the Cancer in Young Adults report, and the call for action for continued work in risk reduction and prevention.
“Continuing research and surveillance of cancer in young adults will provide more important information,” says Logan. “This knowledge will help in developing prevention strategies that will ensure fewer young people are diagnosed with cancer. Overall, it could also help in our understanding of cancer risk factors for all age groups.”
More information is also needed about the unique support needs of young people with cancer. “A cancer diagnosis can shatter a young person’s life,” says Logan. “We need to identify support needs for this age group and develop appropriate strategies to meet them.”
The Canadian Cancer Society is a national community-based organization of volunteers whose mission is to eradicate cancer and to enhance the quality of life of people living with cancer. When you want to know more about cancer, visit our website www.cancer.ca or call our toll-free, bilingual Cancer Information Service at 1 888 939-3333.
View the Cancer in Young Adults in Canada report. (PDF)
Read Cancer Care Ontario's media release.
-30- For more information, please contact: Kerstin Ring Senior Manager, Communications Canadian Cancer Society, National office Phone:
(416) 934-5664
Alexa Giorgi Bilingual Communications Specialist Canadian Cancer Society, National office Phone:
(416) 934-5338
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