Young adults with cancer report putting off appointments, getting dismissed by doctors
Research indicates that young adults are increasingly delaying medical appointments for cancer symptoms, often dismissing them as stress-related. Experts are calling for better education to encourage earlier symptom reporting, as cancer rates rise in the 20-39 age demographic.
Why it matters
Early detection is critical for cancer survival, and this trend highlights a significant public health communication gap.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add to Preferred Sources Young adults often attribute troublesome physical symptoms to stress and put off making an appointment with a physician. Credit: Douglas Levere When Natasha Allard's close friend Dave was diagnosed with stage 4 testicular cancer at age 26, the University at Buffalo postdoctoral associate started paying more attention to how cancer was upending the lives of young people.
What she saw would eventually change the course of her career.
At the time, Allard, Ph.D. '26, was working in marketing and communications at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. She learned that cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in young adults, while holding steady or declining in older adults.
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