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| There is a misconception that young people are immune to cancer. Photo: Alamy |
Cancer's lost generation: the teens and young adults 'forgotten in the middle'
by Hannah Partos, The Guardian,
15 December 2013
While overall cancer survival rates have improved, young people fare less well – and their symptoms are often dismissed
After six months of misdiagnosis, Stephen was eventually told he had bowel cancer. He was 15. A straight-A student, he had always wanted to be a doctor. Now 18, he says: "I've lost faith in the healthcare system." He visited his GP numerous times with "crippling symptoms" and went to A&E on five occasions. "I have a strong family history of bowel cancer. At one point, we asked the doctor if I might have cancer and demanded further scans. He said: 'No, definitely not, you're too young.'"
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While overall cancer survival rates have improved, young people fare less well – and their symptoms are often dismissed
After six months of misdiagnosis, Stephen was eventually told he had bowel cancer. He was 15. A straight-A student, he had always wanted to be a doctor. Now 18, he says: "I've lost faith in the healthcare system." He visited his GP numerous times with "crippling symptoms" and went to A&E on five occasions. "I have a strong family history of bowel cancer. At one point, we asked the doctor if I might have cancer and demanded further scans. He said: 'No, definitely not, you're too young.'"