Main content

Are more young people getting cancer?

Receiving a cancer diagnosis is still rare in people under 50, but trends over the past few decades suggest cases are rising. James Gallagher investigates why.

Last month, Catherine, Princess of Wales shared she鈥檇 been diagnosed with cancer. Describing this news as 鈥榓 huge shock鈥 and at age just 42, the Princess鈥 disease falls into a category known as 鈥渆arly-onset cancer鈥 鈥 when the disease affects those under 50. While cases in this age group are still rare, diagnosis rates over the past few years have been growing. And scientists are now on a mission to figure out why.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis at any age is devastating, but younger people living with the disease face additional challenges. James Gallagher talks to Emma Campbell, a mum of three young children who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 36. Emma shares not just how her treatment affected her life, but the difficulties in advocating for herself as a younger person trying to get diagnosed. Professor Helen Coleman, cancer epidemiologist for Queens University Belfast, has been studying these diagnostic rates in younger people and explains possible reasons why more people like Emma are finding themselves living with the disease.

A series of videos recently went viral on social media from women claiming their weight loss drugs got them pregnant. These drugs 鈥 like Ozempic and Wegovy 鈥 help people lose weight by suppressing appetite, but could they impact fertility? James speaks to Dr Charlotte Moffett, lecturer in Pharmacology and Molecular Pathology at the University of Ulster, who is studying if these drugs might alter someone's ability to conceive. James is also joined in the studio by GP, Dr Margaret McCartney, who helps him answer some of your questions.

Presenter: James Gallagher
Producer: Julia Ravey
Content Editor: Holly Squire
Production Coordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy

TikTok credits: @Dkalsolive | @anastasiamalhotra | @coachkatierogers

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Wed 1 May 2024 21:30

Broadcasts

  • Tue 30 Apr 2024 09:30
  • Wed 1 May 2024 21:30

Discover more health facts with The Open University

Can you detect health fact from fiction?

Podcast