Rejuvenating cancer creates a generation of patients in their 30s who survive treatment but have many difficulties returning to work and integrating into society.
Four years ago, at the age of 25, Lourdes Monje quit her boring job in New York and lived in her sister’s apartment in Philadelphia, while planning to change her career to a teacher. However, all dreams were interrupted because of the “cancer verdict”.
One morning in late October, she felt a strange lump in her left breast. A series of painful scans and biopsies showed that the cancer had spread to the lungs. That grim diagnosis left Monje’s future uncertain.
At her next appointment, her doctor reassured her that cancer was no longer a death sentence, thanks to revolutionary changes in medicine. Advanced tools combined with artificial intelligence have helped identify tumors earlier and provide targeted treatment with a high success rate.
Years ago, the typical cancer patient was very different from Monje. They are often older, retired, their children are grown, and they are more financially secure. In old age, they have friends of the same age who are sick, reducing the feeling of loneliness. This community makes the elderly more resilient in the fight.
Monje represents a generation of young cancer survivors. They are a new group of patients, over 30 years old, not yet financially stable, still need a life direction after treatment, still interested in career, dating, sex and raising children.
Lourdes Monje, diagnosed with breast cancer at age 25, represents a new generation of patients – young cancer survivors. Image: NPR
Life turned upside down
Monje has ER+/Her2- (estrogen receptor positive, Her2 protein negative) breast cancer, one of the most common types, for which there is effective treatment. The new drug targets the target, killing cancer cells without affecting healthy cells. Those advances can control metastatic disease for many years.
“The doctor even told me not to worry about the cancer reaching stage 4. For me, it’s a bit difficult,” Monje said.
Although not a death sentence, the cancer treatment process also left Monje in a state of chaos, physically, mentally and professionally.
“Life for me used to be limitless, now it’s different. Since I got sick, I’ve spent a lot of time regretting that I no longer think about life carefreely. I think, this is one of the things the most difficult emotion to accept,” Monje said.
In fact, studies often ignore patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to Alison Silberman, CEO of Stupid Cancer, a support group for young cancer sufferers. Because there are still many things to experience, their “living” needs are greater and more complex. They are sometimes college students, people who have just graduated, just starting a job or starting a family. Being diagnosed with cancer has a huge impact, making it more difficult for older people to accept. The “sentence” of cancer is long, causing feelings of inferiority and social isolation.
Silberman himself lost his 24-year-old brother to bone cancer. The boy was diagnosed while in college and died after 18 months of struggling with harsh treatment.
The other side of good news
Successful treatment of cancer is inherently good news. But the lives of the patients later revealed the dark side of this “good news”.
Many experts are concerned that the medical community has not paid attention to the quality of life of patients after treatment. Dr. Silberman believes that their educational, financial, and social concerns are often overlooked, falling into the “gray area” of medical discussions. This puts the patient in a passive position.
“Questions arise too late. Many people wonder about fertility after treatment, how to maintain social relationships or continue going to school, how to budget after treatment or adapt to life. return to work. Experts need to think about these things sooner,” Dr. Silberman said.
Monje is still on a lonely journey to find solutions to these problems, even though she has been cancer-free for 4 years. She wondered when she would be able to date or go back to work. Only recently, when she recovered mentally, was she ready for a relationship.
“For a long time, I felt like I didn’t deserve it. I was afraid that I would become a burden to others,” Monje said. She feared infertility after chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This is also the reason Monje hesitates to get married.
Her path to a teaching career also encountered many difficulties, largely due to the fatigue of maintenance treatment. Cancer drugs cause sudden hormonal and mood changes. However, recently, Monje started working part-time, teaching computer science to immigrants. She focuses on the little things that make life precious.
“I feel happier than before. In ‘theory’, I have regained my inspiration,” she said.