How should young people prevent cancer?

In recent years, the incidence of cancer has become younger and younger. What is more worrying is that the malignancy of cancer in young people seems to be higher.

Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization analyzed nearly 1.85 million young cancer cases (15-39 years old) registered between 1998 and 2012, and found that among 41 countries, the incidence of cancer among young people was on the rise in 23 countries (including China); it is estimated that in 2018, approximately 1.2 million cancer cases and 400,000 cancer-related deaths occurred among people aged 15 to 39.

Although the incidence of cancer in young people is still relatively low compared to that in the elderly, it has been clinically found that young people have strong cell metabolism. Once they develop cancer, their tumor cells grow faster than those in middle-aged and elderly people, are more malignant, and have a greater chance of metastasis and recurrence. A study published in The Lancet Oncology in 2018 also found that the five-year survival rate of young people with cancer is lower than that of the elderly and children.

According to statistics released by my country's National Cancer Center, in 2017, there were 153,000 new cancer cases among men aged 15 to 44, with the top five cancers being liver cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and stomach cancer. There were 244,300 new cancer cases among young women, with breast cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer being the top cancers. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, and ovarian cancer are also common types of cancer among all populations. From a clinical point of view, except for some people who are susceptible due to genetic genes, most of them are related to excessive consumption of health.

1. Staying up late for a long time

The 2018 China Sleep Index shows that 22.4% of the post-90s generation go to bed after 1 a.m. Young people, relying on their relatively good physical fitness, often work overtime and indulge in nightlife. Long-term lack of adequate sleep and disordered work and rest can easily lead to a decrease in the body's resistance and promote cancer. Studies have shown that as long as one sleeps less than 5 hours a night, the body's immune cells that specifically fight cancer cells will be reduced by 70%. Research by the International Agency for Research on Cancer also stated that lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and thyroid cancer are all related to sleep disorders.

2. Too lazy to exercise

As more and more people become white-collar workers, sitting for long periods of time has become a bad habit for modern people, and the first to suffer the consequences are young people. Due to lack of exercise, body metabolism becomes poor, and it is easy to become obese or overweight, which is related to the increased incidence of gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, etc.

3. Unhealthy diet

Long-term high-oil, high-fat, high-salt diet, overeating, irregular meal times, drinking, etc., will cause harm to the body over time. Unhealthy diet is related to gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, etc.

4. Don’t treat the disease

Most young people think they can eat and drink well and are in good health. They often get sick but just endure it or suppress it with medicine, ignoring some minor physical problems, which eventually develop into major illnesses.

Expert Tip

An unhealthy lifestyle will lead to bad consequences sooner or later. You must not be complacent just because you are young.

In terms of diet, you should eat less meat and more vegetables, and eat more fruits;

Secondly, we should quit smoking, drink less alcohol, and stay away from environmental pollution;

Pay attention to daily physical examinations and screenings to ensure early detection and early treatment;

Young people with a long history of smoking should undergo chest CT and cytology examinations as soon as possible if they have unexplained irritating cough, bloody sputum, and other chest discomfort.

If you have stomach pain, abdominal pain, unexplained indigestion, or irregular bowel movements or changes in shape, you should get a gastroscopy or other examinations done in time.

Cervical cancer is mainly related to unclean sexual life and long-term multiple sexual partners. If vaginal contact bleeding, abnormal secretions, and odor occur, you must undergo a gynecological examination in time.