Record number of young people seeking support for cancer diagnosis

New figures show a record number of young adults turning to Chai Cancer Care, the UK Jewish community’s main cancer support service.

Figures for 2023-2024 revealed a 43.5 per cent increase since 2019-2020 in the number of clients aged between 18 and 40 coming to Chai with a cancer diagnosis.

This accounted for 1,270 appointments with the charity in the last year, compared to 309 appointments four years ago, representing a staggering 311 per cent increase.

Lisa Steele, Chai’s chief executive, told the JC that the biggest increase in cancer diagnoses they had seen among clients in that age group was for lymphoma and brain cancer, but that the most common type of cancer was breast cancer.

She said that the increase in people aged 18 to 40 getting a cancer diagnosis was due to “a mix of things”, such as lifestyle changes, including eating more processed food, but also because there was less taboo and more awareness of cancer and its symptoms.

“Young people talk about cancer more nowadays. This means that people are self-examining more and noticing changes.”

Steele also attributed an increase in cancer awareness to the launch of the NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme at the start of 2024.

Less stigma about asking for help among young people had also contributed to more younger clients coming through their doors, she suggested. “Going for counselling is now much more acceptable. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t coping, but they just recognise that they need help through this period.”

As well as therapy, Chai Cancer Care’s services include a gym headed by a physiotherapist, nutritional advice, reflexology, acupuncture, meditation and mindfulness, which can help to reduce the side effects of treatment. The charity also runs style workshops to support people who may be struggling with their body image following physical changes such as hair loss.

The psychological impact on people with cancer in their 20s and 30s was often different to those patients diagnosed with cancer later on in life, said Steele. “For a young adult, if they haven’t got married and they are seeing their friends getting married while they are undergoing treatment, there might be a sense that everyone else is moving on with their life.

“If they are at university and have to take a year out for treatment, that can be very difficult, as can having young children but not being able to be there for them as much as you’d like to be.”

Additional challenges might include undergoing fertility preservation before cancer treatment, the anxiety of starting a new relationship after surgery and loss of income if a patient was unable to work, said Steele.

Zoe, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 27 and underwent surgery at 28, said: “Given the nature of the diagnosis of ovarian cancer and the fact that it had spread to surrounding reproductive organs, they all had to be removed.

"It’s not what you expect - to be told that the plans and the hopes and the aspirations for the life that you’re envisaging with the person that you’ve met and falling in love with have to change and they don’t look like anything you would have expected, is really hard.”

Zoe, who attends Chai for counselling and scar tissue massage therapy, said: “Chai has given me another set of people looking after me and looking out for me and advocating in an environment where it’s normal [to have cancer].”

Manchester-born Benjamin Black, 40, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma aged 32, in October 2016.

His treatment led to side effects, including hair loss, brain fog and short-term memory issues.

The HR consultant, who completed chemotherapy in May 2017 and is now clear of cancer, said the diagnosis and subsequent treatment had had a significant impact on his life, including delaying his move to London, having to take a year off work and undergoing sperm freezing.

He said: “Socially, it did have an impact. I really liked to travel, and I couldn’t. I wanted to move to London, but I had to put that on hold and move in with my parents.

"On my good days, I could go and meet friends for lunch, but I was careful. I didn’t feel like going out and meeting lots of people, especially during winter when there are lots of bugs going around.”

Black said that having cancer treatment caused him to lose “a year of my career” and become financially dependent on his parents. “When you’re young, you don’t think anything is going to happen, so I didn’t have a lot of savings.”

He was supported by Chai in Manchester from the start of his diagnosis. “I had an amazing counsellor, and the complementary therapies gave me something to look forward to. A massage didn’t cure my cancer, but it did give me that time to feel like I was being looked after and it was something to brighten up my day.”

The increase in younger people being diagnosed has also led to a rise in the number of younger children being supported by Chai. “If a mum or dad can’t be near their child because the child has a cough or cold, it can have an impact on them,” said Steele, who said that parents and grandparents also approach Chai for help.

The increase in younger people being diagnosed with cancer in the Jewish community reflects a national picture.

According to Cancer Research, between the early 1990s and 2018, cancer incidence rates in 25 to 49-year-olds in the UK increased by 22 per cent, a bigger percentage change than in any other age group.

But, said the charity, these “early-onset” cancers were still uncommon, with around 90 pet cent of all cancers being diagnosed in people over the age of 50, and 50 per cent of cancers affecting the over-75s.

Steele said that it was imperative that people were aware of cancer symptoms and sought medical advice at the earliest opportunity if they were concerned. “If cancer is caught early, there is always more chance of success. It’s really important that everyone is mindful of their bodies and if they notice any changes that they go straight to their GP.”

There are 11 Chai centres across the UK, including in Hendon, which is the flagship centre, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

Chai provides 68 services to the adults and children, and its annual £3.8m annual budget relies on donations.

For more information on Chai Cancer Care, click here 

or go to: chaicancercare.org

For information on the NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme, click here or go to: jewishbrca.org