Categories: Cancer

Common types of Cancer in Young Adults

Cancer as we all know and understand is a condition in which DNA mutations cause abnormal cell-growth or multiplication. Every cell, tissue and organ in the body is vulnerable to either primary cancer (originating there) or secondary cancer (metastasized from cancer in another part of the body).

Also, cancer does not differentiate between the young and old. Right from children (up to 11 years of age) to adolescents (12 to 17 years of age) to young adults (18 to 39 years) to the middle-aged (40 to 59 years) to seniors (60 to 79 years) and super-seniors (80 years and above), anybody can develop cancer, anywhere in the body. But, some cancers are more common than others in every age-group.

Lifestyle factors which include poor diet and nutrition, substance abuse, obesity and sedentary life; environmental factors which include exposure to toxins and pollutants, and finally genetic factors are the major risk-factors for cancer in almost all age-groups. However, in children (less than 12 years), the environmental and lifestyle factors don’t create that much risk and more often than not, genetic factors are the cause for cancer. Some children have inherited certain genes that can cause abnormal mutations, leading to cancer. In some cases, these mutations are happening right from the time the baby is in the womb.

The below cancers are common in the age-group of 18 to 39 years.

Brain & Central Nervous System

Cancers can develop in any part of the brain, the brain stem which connects the brain to the spinal cord and the spinal cord itself. However, spinal cord tumors are rare compared to brain tumors. There are over 150 different types of brain cancer, yet brain cancer itself is rarer compared to other cancers that affect young adults.

Symptoms include: daily headaches that don’t go away, changes in one’s vision, hearing, speech and mood, difficulty in balance and walking, numbness, weakness or tingling in the arms or legs, difficulty in remembering, twitching and muscle jerking.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is quite rare in this age-group although women in this age-group may have breast lumps that are not cancerous. Even in such a case, it’s good to have a medical examination.

The most common symptoms of breast cancer are breast lumps or masses that are either hard and painless, or soft and painful. Other symptoms include thickening of the breast skin, changes in appearance of the nipple, swelling or pain in the breast and fluids other than milk leaking from the nipple.

Also Read: Breast Cancer: Early Signs, Diagnosis and Treatment

Lymphomas (non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin)

Lymphomas are cancers that originate in immune cells called lymphocytes. Then they spread to other members of the lymphatic system which includes the spleen, thymus, tonsils, as well as lymph nodes and vessels present all over the body. Lymphoma is again of 2 types:

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – affects people in all age-groups. In young adults, it is generally seen in the 20s age-group. This is less common than the other type which is:
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – which affects older people more than those in this age-group. However, if it is seen in young adults, it is aggressive and needs quick treatment.

Symptoms of lymphomas include – lumps which are basically swollen lymph nodes under the skin in the groin, armpit and neck, fatigue, weight loss, chills and fever.

Melanoma

Melanoma is a kind of skin cancer that was previously common in adults older than 55 years of age. However, off-late they are being reported in people in their 30s, especially women. The condition can also be hereditary.

The one and only prominent symptom is a new spot on the skin that keeps changing in shape, size and color with each passing day.

Sarcomas

These are cancers that occur in connective tissues and bones. These are of 2 types:

Soft tissue sarcoma (STS) – this starts in muscles, ligaments, tendons, fat cells, blood vessels and certain other body tissues. They generally start in the arms and legs. A variation called Rhabdomyosarcoma is more common in children, but also found in some teens and young adults. Symptoms of STS include bowel problems, swelling and lumps that do not cause any pain.
Bone sarcoma – these again are of 2 types: (a) osteosarcoma that starts near the extremities of the hands and legs. (b) Ewing sarcoma that starts in the hip bones, rib-cage, shoulder blades, middle of the femur (thigh bone) or tibia (shin bone). The only symptom of bone sarcoma is pain that starts with activity and intensifies in the night.

Cancers of the female genital tract (cervix and ovary)

Cervical cancer is generally found in older women (55 years and above) and is rare among young adults. The most common cause for this is the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. The only symptom is vaginal bleeding that is heavier than menstrual bleeding.
Ovarian cancer is again more common in older women but one variety called as germ cell tumor is found in teens and young adults. Symptoms include feeling full even after eating a little, a heavy or bloated feeling in the abdomen, pain in the belly and troubles related to passing urine.

Thyroid cancer

Among all the cancers that affect young adults, thyroid cancer is the most common. It’s especially common in the age-group of 20 to 25 years, and in more women than men. Symptoms include lump in the front of the neck, pain or swelling in any part of the neck, hoarse voice, difficulty in swallowing and wheezing.

Also Read: What is Thyroid and how does it function?

Testicular cancer

Testicular cancer can affect men of any age-group and are quite common in the age-group of 20 to 35 years. Symptoms include a lump in either testicle that is painful or painless, swollen testicle where one appears larger than the other.

Colorectal cancer

In the past, cancers of the colon and rectum was only found in older adults. But since the 1990s, many young adults are reporting this condition, although they respond well to treatment. Some of the causes for this alarming increase could be poor nutrition, a diet rich in red meat, environmental toxins and pollutants, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and changes in gut bacteria. In many young adults, the reason is genetic which means, some families are genetically more predisposed to this condition than others.

Symptoms include bleeding in the rectum, changes in bowel habits, dark-colored stools, pain in the belly, poor appetite and hence weight loss.

Leukemia

Cancer of the blood in which the blood contains more of abnormal blood cells, thereby making it difficult to stop bleeding, fight infection and carry sufficient oxygen to the body’s cells. This is of 2 types – acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Symptoms of leukemia include frequent fever, headache, nosebleeds, fatigue and weakness, excessive bleeding, infections and excessive bruising.

Reviewed by Dr Suresh S Venkita, Group Medical Director, Kauvery Hospitals

Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

Chennai – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801