JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Many dynamics are reshaping what it means to have cancer. More people are getting cancer too, especially younger women. In her series Life After Diagnosis, NPR's Yuki Noguchi is examining what life is like in survivorship. Hi, there.
YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Hi.
SUMMERS: So, Yuki, start if you can by just telling us what is different about having cancer today?
NOGUCHI: Yeah, I mean, so many things are. You know, historically, cancer affected older men more often, and people typically didn't survive very long. But in the last 20 years, medicines have gotten a lot better, you know, with fewer harsh side effects. So sometimes treating cancer is like, you know, treating a chronic illness, and people can live for many years. And so therefore, survivorship is far more common.
SUMMERS: And how many survivors are there?
NOGUCHI: More than 18 million in the U.S., which is 5.5% of the population. You know, in the 1970s, that was about 1% of the population. And the ranks are growing too, in part because cancer is more common, you know, notably, among women and racial minorities. And last week, the American Cancer Society said cancer among women under age 50 is now 82% higher than men.
SUMMERS: That's remarkable. But do we know anything about why that spike is happening?
NOGUCHI: You know, not definitively. There are some theories. Obesity, for example, drives some cancers, especially gynecologic ones. And it's possible that something in the environment like microplastics or pollutants are carcinogenic in ways that we don't quite understand yet. But the why is still a big and concerning question.
SUMMERS: I know that you have talked to people about how survivorship reshapes their lives. What do you hear from them? What do they talk about?
NOGUCHI: You know, the most common thing is social isolation, ostracism, even. You know, even close friends and family abandon people when they're diagnosed sometimes. It's a phenomenon called cancer ghosting. And that happened to Ashley Levinson with two of her siblings.
ASHLEY LEVINSON: One reached out to me on Facebook and just put a message, good luck with everything, and here's to better health. Another one never responded at all. I felt like I was burdening other people when I was just trying to hold myself together.
NOGUCHI: And you know, this can be harder when you're younger, too, because, you know, older people have at least more peers with serious illness who understand.
SUMMERS: Right. And I mean, people who are younger may also be mid-career or raising families, right?
NOGUCHI: Right. Yeah, I mean, that's just it. There are so many layers of stressors. You know, holding onto a job while sick can be critical to keep health insurance, you know, as well as to pay rent or food. And there are things that you also don't expect to confront as a young person, like infertility or impact on dating and sex. And Abigail Glavy had to face that at age 32. You know, after a double mastectomy, she had incisions and scars and obviously a lot of grief. And she wanted to date again but was nervous to.
ABIGAIL GLAVY: I didn't want to feel like they were freaked out by my body.
NOGUCHI: And Glavy told herself, dating can't be scarier than cancer. But, you know, when she started dating, she noted she was very cautious.
GLAVY: I didn't kiss him for, like, the first three dates 'cause I was terrified.
NOGUCHI: You know, and thankfully, that date was very patient and understanding. And in that safety, she found intimacy. And, you know, I'm happy to say that they recently got engaged.
SUMMERS: Love a happy ending - congratulations to them. That is NPR's Yuki Noguchi. Thank you so much.
NOGUCHI: Thank you.
SUMMERS: And for more on the series Life After Diagnosis, visit npr.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF CLIF SOULO SONG, "THE WONDERFUL MIND OF A BLACKAMOOR EXPERIENCE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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