Shifting Paradigm of Adult Cancers at Young Age –A Case Series

Abstract

Cancer is considered to be an age related disease because the incidence of most types of cancers increases with age rising more rapidly beginning in midlife. Adolescents and young adults are a distinct population, which is not a usual age for diagnosis of tumors that are usually found in older adults. Tumors in this group of patients tend to be different from tumors found in children or older adults. The treatment of such patients is challenging as they are at a higher risk of developing long-term side effects. In this case series, we report 3 cases of adult cancers that presented at an unusually younger age highlighting the fact that there is a recent shift in paradigm in terms of age of presentation of cancer. We present 3 cases namely, supraglottic larynx squamous cell carcinoma in a 21-year-old female, adenocarcinoma of the rectum in a 22-year-old male, and adenocarcinoma of the stomach and gastro-esophageal junction in a 25-year-old male. With this case series we want to highlight this recent change in the age presentation of adult cancers and this could foreshadow the future trend of the disease.