Getting diagnosed with cancer in your 20s and 30s can be isolating. But there are programs that can help – CBC

From family planning to financial burdens, young adults with cancer face a unique struggle, say doctors

Mar 06, 2025

In a small auditorium at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, about a half-dozen cancer patients sit, getting tips on how to deal with hair loss during chemotherapy. It’s not an unusual workshop for cancer patients — except that every patient in the room is under 40.

It’s part of a program at the cancer hospital, created for those who get diagnosed in their 20s and 30s. Cancer in this age group was once considered an anomaly, but recent research from the Lancet suggests that’s changing in the U.S. Seventeen of the 34 most common cancers diagnosed between the ages of 25 to 84 are on the rise among millennials, as well as younger Gen-Xers — and it’s not exactly clear why.

Canada is seeing a similar pattern, too, says Laura Burnett, who leads cancer support programs and services at the Canadian Cancer Society. According to the latest data, published last year, just under four per cent of cancer cases were expected to be diagnosed in adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 39 years in 2023, said the non-profit in an email.

Getting diagnosed with cancer in your 20s and 30s can be isolating. But there are programs that can help – CBC

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