{"id":22224,"date":"2026-06-16T15:13:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T09:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/early-onset-cancers-are-on-the-rise-knowing-your-family-history-is-crucial\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T15:13:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T09:43:25","slug":"early-onset-cancers-are-on-the-rise-knowing-your-family-history-is-crucial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/early-onset-cancers-are-on-the-rise-knowing-your-family-history-is-crucial\/","title":{"rendered":"Early-Onset Cancers Are on the Rise. Knowing Your Family History Is Crucial."},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"is-variant-full wp-block-kff-shared-podcast-player\" id=\"podcast-player-1\" data-audio-url=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webaudio.mp3\" data-play-label=\"Play\" data-pause-label=\"Pause\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-podcast-player__embed-modal\" hidden=\"\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-podcast-player__embed-modal-content\">\n<p>\t\t<textarea class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-podcast-player__embed-code\" readonly=\"readonly\" rows=\"3\">&lt;iframe src=&#8221;https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/healthq-early-onset-cancers-family-history\/embed\/&#8221; width=&#8221;600&#8243; height=&#8221;200&#8243; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8243; scrolling=&#8221;no&#8221; title=&#8221;Early-Onset Cancers Are on the Rise. Knowing Your Family History Is Crucial.&#8221;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;<\/textarea><br \/>\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-podcast-player__embed-copy-btn\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tCopy\t\t<\/button>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-source-sans-3-font-family\">Listen in and play along as hosts Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer test their knowledge with a HealthQ quiz on detecting early-onset cancers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"847\" width=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?w=1270\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2249754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg 3840w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=500,333 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=1270,847 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=120,80 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=834,556 834w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/06\/HealthQ_EARLYONCANCER_webres.jpg?resize=1668,1112 1668w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1270px) 100vw, 1270px\"\/><figcaption> (Candice Evers for WPLN and KFF Health News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bryce Ramsey of Madison, Mississippi, was 33 when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Upon noticing blood in her stool, she blamed the hemorrhoids she\u2019d developed after delivering her son eight years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Ramsey didn\u2019t initially link her symptoms to cancer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I had just kind of made a deal with myself because the blood was starting to become more frequent,\u201d she said. \u201cI was like, \u2018If this happens the next time I go to the bathroom, I\u2019m going to make a call.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She saw more blood, and she reached out to a gastrointestinal clinic to get it checked out, just in case. Her doctor said she normally wouldn\u2019t scope someone Ramsey\u2019s age, \u201c\u2018but something in my gut is just telling me I need to do so,\u2019\u201d Ramsey recalled. \u201cAnd thank God she did because she found a 5-centimeter polyp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ramsey had surgery, endured chemotherapy, and survived stage 3 colon cancer. Now 40, she volunteers for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group, to raise awareness of early-onset colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Stories like hers are becoming increasingly common: In the U.S., more than a dozen kinds of cancer are on the rise in adults under 50. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yalemedicine.org\/conditions\/early-onset-cancer\">Among these early-onset cancers<\/a>, colorectal and breast cancers have increased the most, and colorectal cancer is now the deadliest cancer for Americans ages 18 to 49.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what to know about detecting early-onset cancers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-heading-5-font-size\"><strong>1.<\/strong> <strong>Family history is one of the most important risk factors.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Researchers have not been able to find a single cause for the rise in early-onset cancers. Instead, research suggests a myriad of factors play a role, including obesity, heavy alcohol use, environmental factors such as microplastics, and disruptions to gut health.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors generally follow population-level guidelines for routine screenings \u2014 such as recommending mammograms starting at age 40 to screen for breast cancer \u2014 but physicians might recommend some patients get screenings as early as in their 20s. Doctors weigh a patient\u2019s personal risks, including their family history of cancer.<\/p>\n<p>Ramsey learned only after her diagnosis that her grandfather previously had colorectal cancer. \u201cIf I would\u2019ve known that I had a significant family history, I would\u2019ve been scoped a lot younger,\u201d she said. \u201cMy doctor said my tumor had probably been growing for seven to 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After her diagnosis, she encouraged her father, aunt, and brother to get screened. All three were diagnosed with colon cancer, too, and survived after receiving treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Ramsey said it can be uncomfortable to urge family members to get tested or to talk with them about private health information, but those conversations are worth having to save a life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust ask the question or make a joke about it. And sometimes just little icebreakers will help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter  wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter--background-white\" data-type=\"kff-shared\/newsletter\" data-align=\"center\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__content\">\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/kff-shared\/dist\/\/images\/newsletter-icon.png\" alt=\"Newsletter Icon\" class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__img\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kff-shared-newsletter__text\">\n<h4 class=\"newsletter__title\">\n\t\t\t\t\tEmail Sign-Up\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n<p class=\"newsletter__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to KFF Health News&#8217; free Morning Briefing.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-heading-5-font-size\"><strong>2.<\/strong> <strong>Report unusual symptoms as quickly as possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Being vigilant about unusual body changes or symptoms \u2014 and reporting those to your physician \u2014 gives doctors the information they need to determine your personal risk for cancer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor example, a lump in the breast, abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits that really are not going away,\u201d said oncologist Veda Giri, director of the Early Onset Cancer Program at Yale Cancer Center. \u201cCertainly blood in the stools. Sometimes even symptoms such as unusual fatigue that doesn\u2019t seem to go away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly important to bring symptoms to your doctor,\u201d Giri said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-heading-5-font-size\"><strong>3. Talk, then test, then talk again.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ads for at-home cancer tests are everywhere, so you might be tempted to use a screening kit instead of going in for an office visit or a standard screening, like a colonoscopy.<\/p>\n<p>But not all tests are created equal, Giri said. It can be hard for laypeople to understand the accuracy of at-home screening kits, so they should talk to their doctor first.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of these tests could lead to a \u200afalse sense of either reassurance or false anxiety and alarm,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>For people who decide to move forward with an at-home test, experts say they still need to consult with a physician. If you get any sort of abnormal result, your doctor is going to want to follow up with additional testing, such as a colonoscopy. Sharing your results, regardless of outcome, will help inform your care.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-heading-5-font-size\"><strong>People and Policy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently changed the recommended age for women to begin mammogram screenings for breast cancer from 50 to 40. But there\u2019s a difference of opinion among national advocacy and medical groups about whether regular screenings should happen every year or every other year.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the same task force lowered the recommended age to 45 for a first colonoscopy for colon cancer detection for people with average risk. Establishing a relationship with a trusted medical practitioner can help patients assess personal risk and sort through new information as research and public health guidance evolve.<\/p>\n<p>If you feel uncertain about your personal risk for cancer or when you should start cancer screenings, one of the best ways to advocate for your health is to establish a relationship with a medical practitioner you trust and ask specifically about your cancer risk. You can also ask to consult with a genetic cancer risk specialist, a type of medical provider who helps patients evaluate their cancer risk, often with genetic testing.<\/p>\n<p><em>This installment is part of HealthQ\u2019s reporting on caregiving among the sandwich generation. For more, check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/series\/healthq\/\">series archive<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-additional-credits is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dark\"\/>\n<p>Katherine Ruppelt and Emily Siner at Nashville Public Radio contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dark\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, approachable guides to an unapproachable healthcare system. It\u2019s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and KFF Health News.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/healthq-early-onset-cancers-family-history\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&lt;iframe src=&#8221;https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/healthq-early-onset-cancers-family-history\/embed\/&#8221; width=&#8221;600&#8243; height=&#8221;200&#8243; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8243; scrolling=&#8221;no&#8221; title=&#8221;Early-Onset Cancers Are on the Rise. Knowing Your Family History Is Crucial.&#8221;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt; Copy Listen in and play along as hosts Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer test their knowledge with a HealthQ quiz on detecting early-onset cancers. (Candice Evers for WPLN and KFF Health News) Bryce Ramsey of Madison, Mississippi, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[270],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-2"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}