Orange County leads Southern California in cancer rates among 18 to 49-year-olds: report

Despite the median age of a cancer diagnosis being 66 years old, with the risk of disease increasing as people age, new data reveals a troubling trend of people under 50 years old developing certain cancers.

Cancer survivor Juliette Landgrave was 38 years old when she found a lump in her breast and her life was turned upside down.

“At the beginning of my journey, people would tell me I was too young to have cancer,” she said.

Now, a concerning new report from City of Hope’s Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center released Tuesday found that cancer rates among people aged 18-49 are surging at higher rates than previous generations, led in part by a rise in colorectal and breast cancers.

“If we see the trend that we’re seeing right now of people under 50 being diagnosed with colon cancer, by 2030 it will be a leading cause of death in young adults in the U.S.,” said Dr. Edward Kim, Physician in Chief at City of Hope Orange County.

Perhaps even more alarming is that Orange County is leading the Southern California region with that frightening statistic, according to data from the National Cancer Institute.

In the last year alone, 18% of cancer patients cared for at City of Hope were under the age of 50.

“I honestly had to take a break in my office because I gave bad news to three patients in their early 30s in a row which honestly was a first for me,” said Dr. Amanda Schwer, a radiation oncologist at City of Hope Orange County.

Health experts are now emphasizing the importance of not only getting regular screenings, but also being aware of symptoms.

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Cancer screenings are now recommended for people as young as 40 years old and earlier for those in at-risk communities.

As for Landgrave, she says it’s imperative that younger women stay vigilant about their health.

“To the women in our community, please perform regular self-breast exams,” she said.

While Orange County is outpacing other counties in the region, the cancer diagnosis rate is still lower than the national average, KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo reports.

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