COLUMBUS, Ohio — They are the words no one wants to hear: "You have cancer."
A recent report from the American Cancer Society (ACS) indicates that the year 2024, is the first where there are more than two million new cases of cancer.
Medical experts have long said the risk of cancer increases with age. The ACS report indicated that there is a development that indicates a change in the trend.
Researchers pointed to young people — those under age 50 — being the only age group with an increase in overall cancer incidence from 1995 to 2020.
OhioHealth breast surgeon Deepa Halaharvi shared that she is seeing a significant number of breast cancer patients who are in their 20s and 30s. Women aren't typically called in for screening mammograms until their 40s.
Awareness is essential.
Halaharvi said that young women under the age of 40 should take action by learning their family history.
“Learn the history, not just breast and ovarian cancer, “ she said. “Also, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, that just indicates there may be a genetic mutation in your family.”
Additionally, Halaharvi recommended women under 40 undergo a breast cancer risk assessment by your healthcare provider.
The National Cancer Institute described The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool as a measure that allow health professionals to estimate a woman's risk of developing invasive breast cancer over the next five years and up to age 90.
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