\u201cI thought I had pulled something,\u201d said the 25-year-old, who was pursuing a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology at the time.<\/p>\n
However, in June that year, the pains became worse after what he described as a \u201cpretty bad\u201d fall while climbing. He realised something was wrong after almost passing out from the pain one morning.<\/p>\n
Mr Lee went to Mount Alvernia Hospital near his home, where an MRI scan uncovered a mass in his abdomen.<\/p>\n
He underwent further tests and, in July 2024, discovered he had stage 3 testicular cancer, which had spread to the lymph nodes in his belly area.<\/p>\n
While Mr Lee, who had no family history of cancer, said he was mentally prepared for the possibility of cancer, he was concerned over how his loved ones would take the news.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy girlfriend, she had it rough because we had just got together,\u201d he said. \u201cWe got together in April, and I got the diagnosis in July.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first instinct at the time was to reassure her it was okay if she wanted to walk out (on the relationship).\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Lee is one of an increasing number of younger adults being diagnosed with cancer here in recent years.<\/p>\n
Data from the latest Singapore Cancer Registry annual report showed that for the period between 2019 and 2023, there were 4,995 cancer diagnoses for those under 40 \u2013 a 34 per cent increase from the years between 2003 and 2007, when the number stood at 3,729.<\/p>\n
Between 1968 and 1972, the earliest period on record in the report, the number of cancer diagnoses for people under 40 was just 1,710.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile cancer is still more common in older adults, the younger age groups are seeing faster rises in age-specific incidence compared with older adults,\u201d said Dr Gloria Chan, a consultant with the haematology-oncology department at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocally, the most rapid increase in age-specific incidence rates\u00a0of cancer was observed in those under 50 years old,\u201d she said, adding that the highest increases were among men between the ages of 30 and 39, and women between 40 and 49.<\/p>\n
This reflects a global trend, said Dr Eileen Poon, medical lead at the National Cancer Centre Singapore\u2019s (NCCS) adolescent and young adults oncology programme.<\/p>\n
She noted that data from the Global Burden of Disease study, published by the Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, showed a 79 per cent increase in early-onset cancer worldwide between 1990 and 2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople under 50 are the only age group to experience sustained increases in cancer incidence since 1995,\u201d said Dr Poon, who is also a senior consultant at NCCS\u2019 medical oncology division.<\/p>\n
A study of more than 500,000 people in the United States \u2013 led by researchers from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and published in peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Network Open in 2023 \u2013 found cancer diagnoses in patients under 50 increased by an average of 0.28 per cent annually between 2010 and 2019.<\/p>\n
While instances of early-onset cancer are not driven by any single cancer type, colorectal cancer is one clear example showing a long-term increase in younger adults, said Dr Chan.<\/p>\n
\u201cA recently published population-based study highlighting the trends in early-onset colorectal cancer in Singapore reported an approximate doubling in incidence, from about five per 100,000 in 1968 to about nine per 100,000 in 2019,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
This increase has largely been driven by rectal cancer rising about 1.5 per cent annually among young men here, she said.<\/p>\n
Breast cancer, meanwhile, is the most common cancer for younger women here, showing a steady\u00a0rise in incidence among those in their 30s and 40s, she added.<\/p>\n
Dr Poon noted that haematological malignancies \u2013 referring to blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma \u2013 <\/b>also <\/b>constitute a significant proportion of adolescent and young adult cancers.<\/p>\n
The experts noted that this rise cannot simply be attributed to better detection of cancers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMortality rates for some early-onset cancers are actually higher because these cancers are detected at more advanced stages in younger\u00a0people,\u201d said Dr Chan.<\/p>\n
\u201cResearchers have identified a \u2018birth cohort effect\u2019 showing that each successive generation born after the 1950s carries a higher cancer risk than the one before,\u201d Dr Poon said.<\/p>\n
This means that someone born in 1990 is four times more likely to develop colorectal cancer compared with someone born in 1950, she noted.<\/p>\n
She said that emerging evidence points to changes in the early-life exposome \u2013 a term referring to all environmental exposures over the course of an individual\u2019s life \u2013 as likely contributing factors.<\/p>\n
These include the rise in ultra-processed foods, obesity, sedentary lifestyles and alterations to the gut microbiome, she added.<\/p>\n
Regular physical activity and avoiding excess weight are among the strongest protective factors against cancer, Dr Chan said, noting obesity\u2019s association with several cancers such as colorectal, breast and endometrial cancers.<\/p>\n
People should have balanced diets, taking in more vegetables, fruits and fibre, while eating less processed meats and red meats, as well as ultra-processed foods, she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese factors are especially relevant for colorectal cancer,\u201d she said, adding that people should also avoid smoking and alcohol.<\/p>\n
Young people should also go for cancer screenings, Dr Chan added, highlighting the importance of cervical and breast cancer screenings for women.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all young-onset cancers are preventable and many people who do \u2018everything right\u2019 can still develop cancer,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmall, consistent lifestyle choices made over time can meaningfully\u00a0lower cancer risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Mr Lee, treating his testicular cancer meant going through orchidectomy, or the removal of his left testicle, in July 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the first time in my life I felt emasculated,\u201d he said, adding that the thought of going through the procedure made him think seriously about having children.<\/p>\n
After his surgery, he underwent chemotherapy, going through 28 sessions at NCCS. He suffered side effects, including nausea, hair loss, weight gain and brain fog.<\/p>\n
To focus on his treatment and recovery, he took a six-month leave of absence from his studies.<\/p>\n
His cancer went into remission in October 2025, and he was able to complete his degree programme in December.<\/p>\n
He noted that his journey has come full circle in a way, as he recently started work with the Singapore Cancer Society as a psychosocial services programmes executive, providing support to cancer patients and cancer survivors.<\/p>\n
The society helps cancer patients, including teens and young adults, and their families. It offers cancer screening and education, rehabilitation programmes, as well as financial and welfare services.<\/p>\n
Mr Lee said his Catholic faith, together with support from his family, friends and girlfriend, as well as a support group for young adults with cancer, helped him get through this difficult period in his life.<\/p>\n
Young adults diagnosed with cancer should try to find something to ground them as their condition can easily result in them falling into despair, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to have something you love, someone you love, in your life to remind you that you don\u2019t just live for yourself. I think that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"January 27, 2026 SINGAPORE \u2013 In January 2024, Mr Joshua Lee began experiencing abdominal pains, which he brushed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[18,135,19,17,1999,2990,119340],"class_list":{"0":"post-305489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-singapore","13":"tag-society","14":"tag-the-straits-times"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115965033550423137","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}