Why are more young adults getting cancer?

By Evan Dawson,

Published April 28, 2025 at 5:59 PM EDT

Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman at foreground left has long blonde hair and is wearing glasses, a green blazer, black shirt and brightly patterned pants; a man at foreground right has short dark hair and is wearing a blue and white plaid long-sleeved shirt and navy pants; a woman at background left has short brown hair and is wearing a black cardigan over a white shirt; a woman at background right has short grey hair and is wearing a red sweater. — (foreground) Jamie Flerlage, (background) Ashley Chittenden and Lauren Spiker on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, April 28, 2025

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

Why are more young adults getting cancer? It's a question researchers are racing to answer.

In January, the American Cancer Society released a report detailing how despite the cancer mortality rate in the U.S. decreasing by 34% from 1991 to 2022, the progress is jeopardized by an increase in diagnoses of many types of cancer, especially in younger adults.

As our guests this hour explain, navigating cancer diagnosis and treatment as a young person has unique challenges. We talk with them about the state of research and how to support young adults living with the disease.

Our guests:

Lauren Spiker, founder and executive director of 13thirty Cancer Connect
Jamie Flerlage, M.D., chief, academic director, and associate professor of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division at Golisano Children's Hospital and assistant director of clinical research at the Wilmot Cancer Institute
Ashley Chittenden, survivor of acute myeloid leukemia and nurse practitioner in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division at Golisano Children's Hospital/Wilmot Cancer Institute