Many young people have cancer

A year ago, when he was diagnosed with stage two lung cancer, Mr. Le Van Toan (33 years old, Hanoi) was very surprised because he was so young. No one in his family has this disease. Holding the result paper in his hand, he thought whether to let his family know about it, worried that his parents would not be able to withstand this shock.

“I have a bright future ahead of me, I hope to have a small and warm family. After many days of self-motivation, I revived my spirit of trying to treat,” Mr. Toan confided.

Similar to Mr. Toan, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Duy (27 years old, Nam Dinh) was diagnosed with cancer when he was less than 30 years old. The liver cancer metastasized to the lung, causing him to lose appetite, difficulty breathing, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, jaundice… Before he was diagnosed with the disease, he showed signs of weight loss, fatigue, anorexia… but only Think due to stressful work, lots of exercise. The doctor said that Duy’s case needed active treatment because it was detected at a late stage.

Causes of cancer cases increase, younger

Not only Mr. Toan, Mr. Duy, more and more young people have cancer. The incidence and mortality rates are continuously increasing and with rejuvenation. Statistics of the Global Cancer Organization (Globocan) in 2020 show that there are nearly 19.3 million people with cancer in the world and nearly 10 million people die; while in 2018 it was 18.1 million and 9.6 million respectively.

According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2020, about 90,000 people in the 15-39 age group will be diagnosed with cancer, accounting for about 5% of cancer cases. The rate of cancer in young people increased to 30% (compared in 2016 with 2007). Cancer has become the leading cause of death among young people. In our country, although there are no statistics on the number of young people with cancer, the disease also tends to be younger. More and more young people are being diagnosed with cancer.

Dr. BS Tran Hai Binh (Deputy Head of Oncology Department, Tam Anh General Hospital in Hanoi), shared, Vietnam is one of the countries with a high cancer incidence in Asia. If 15-20 years ago, most common cancers were in the age of 50 or older, now many cases are under 40 years old. Recorded at Tam Anh General Hospital, the number of young cancer patients (under 40 years old) diagnosed when visiting the hospital is increasing.

In Toan’s case, Dr. Binh explained, the factors that increase the risk of lung cancer are smoking, drinking alcohol and often stressful work. And Mr. Duy is due to hepatitis B virus infection and drinking a lot.

According to Dr. Binh, the number of young people suffering from cancer is increasing, the earlier the age is mostly due to the group of changeable factors (behavior, lifestyle, environment…). In the top 5 types of cancer in our country in 2020 (according to Globocan’s statistics), cancer of the liver, lung, breast, stomach, colorectal… is mainly related to lifestyle and diet. .

Many young people still do little exercise, drink a lot of alcohol, smoke cigarettes… According to the United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA, Vietnam is one of the 10 countries where people are the most inactive in the world. Research by the Department of Preventive Medicine, Ministry of Health, up to 30% of adults lack physical activity. Unhealthy diet low in vegetables, high in protein, high in salt… is also not good for health. Doctor Binh added that, in the past 30 years, the amount of meat Vietnamese people eat increased 6 times in green vegetables, only half of the recommended level.

Smoking, drinking a lot of alcohol is also one of the reasons why men get cancer more than women. These are common causes that increase the risk of lung, liver, gastrointestinal cancers… According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Vietnamese people’s alcohol and beer consumption is high compared to other countries. in the area. It is estimated that, on average, a Vietnamese person over 15 years old drinks 8.3 liters of pure alcohol per year.

In addition, busy work, frequent stress, insomnia… are also risk factors. Some types of cancer caused by other diseases such as obesity, hepatitis, cirrhosis, gastrointestinal diseases… also increase, tend to be younger and are not treated promptly. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in 2017, more than 541,000 Vietnamese people died, of which non-communicable diseases accounted for 76%, leading to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. , osteoporosis, gout…

How to prevent early

In addition to unchangeable factors such as age and genetics, Dr. Binh recommends proactive prevention from a healthy lifestyle and diet. Every day, adults eat a variety of 8 groups of substances, 500-600 grams of vegetables and fruits per day to contribute to the prevention of cancer and other non-communicable diseases.

Exercising at least 30 minutes a day, 2-3 times a week helps to strengthen the body’s resistance, maintain an appropriate weight, and feel comfortable. Limiting alcohol, not smoking can also cut the risk of cancer in half.

Binh recommended that because cancer is getting younger and younger, the age of screening for some types of cancer is also earlier than before. For example, before colorectal cancer screening was recommended at age 50, it is now around 40-45 years old. People in high-risk groups such as family history of first-degree relatives (parents, siblings) should be screened early to monitor and treat promptly if they have the disease.

“Everyone should have regular health check-ups every 6 months to a year. People with unhealthy diets and lifestyles when there are abnormal signs such as weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue, accompanied by other signs and symptoms. Characteristic signs of certain types of cancer should go to the hospital for early examination,” emphasized Dr.

The character name was changed.

Kim Uyen