Cancer's long-term damage to young adults affects health, income, relationships: Study

Nearly 70,000 people in the Netherlands have been diagnosed with cancer as young adults over the past 20 years. They continue to face long-term consequences of the disease and its treatment, including fertility issues, reduced income, and impacts on relationships. This was reported by the Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL).

Since 2009, the number of cancer survivors in the Netherlands who were diagnosed between the ages of 18 and 39 has grown significantly, reaching 69,000 by early 2025. The IKNL attributes this growth to improved survival thanks to advancements in treatment, along with a modest increase in diagnoses among young adults.

"Cancer is often seen as a disease of older people, but nearly 7 percent of all those currently living with or after cancer were diagnosed at a young adult age," explains Henrike Karim-Kos, a researcher at the IKNL. "Because young adults have much of their lives still ahead, a cancer diagnosis can significantly affect their long-term health and outlook for the future."

While being diagnosed at a young age can be life-changing, the overall outlook is relatively positive. Approximately 90% of adolescent and young adult patients survive at least five years after diagnosis, with about 85% still alive after ten years.

Within this age group, women are 1.5 times more likely than men to be diagnosed with cancer. The most common forms are breast cancer, melanoma (a type of skin cancer), and cervical cancer, with breast cancer accounting for 878 cases in 2024.

For young men, testicular cancer is by far the leading diagnosis, with 574 cases in 2024, followed by melanoma and cancers of the lymph nodes.

Cancer is the second most common cause of death among young adults in the Netherlands, with around 350 to 400 deaths annually in this age group. Over the past 20 years, over one million individuals in the Netherlands have received a cancer diagnosis.