Health
4 troubling cancer trends you must know about in 2025
The American Cancer Society’s annual cancer trends report revealed a mix of news and statistics for 2025.
Cancer death rates have dropped 34% between 1991 and 2022, which the ACS attributes to early detection, smoking reduction and improvements in treatment.
While these numbers are encouraging, oncologists and cancer specialists still have concerns about some other factors.
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While the report shows continued progress on many fronts, certain areas remain of “significant concern,” Dr. Joshua Strauss, an attending hematologist and medical oncologist at Advanced Care Oncology and Hematology Associates of the Atlantic Medical Group in Morristown, New Jersey, shared with Fox News Digital.
Oncologists share which cancer trends most concern them for 2025. (iStock)
Below are some of the most concerning trends, according to experts.
1. Cancer deaths not improving in younger individuals
Cancer prevalence in younger individuals and adolescents has continued to rise, according to the report, with rates in teens slowly increasing by 0.7% each year.
Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death among children and adolescents — most commonly leukemia, brain cancer and lymphoma.
In 2025, the ACS estimates that 9,550 kids up to 14 years old and 5,140 adolescents aged 15 to 19 will be diagnosed with cancer, and that 1,050 children and 600 adolescents will die.
Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death among children and adolescents, according to ACS. (iStock)
Dr. Paul Oberstein, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist and section chief of GI Medical Oncology at NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, reiterated that people below age 50 are seeing higher rates of cancer deaths.
“It’s shown in multiple cancers,” he told Fox News Digital. “I would say the biggest finding is in young women with breast cancer.”
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The prevalence of GI (gastrointestinal) cancers is also increasing among younger adults, including pancreatic and colon cancer.
Experts have varying hypotheses on why young people are being diagnosed more often, including diet, exposure to microplastics or other environmental triggers, according to Oberstein.
One medical oncologist pushed for more research across patients and institutions to “figure out what’s going on.” (iStock)
“We don’t have a good explanation, and we need to invest in discovering why this might be the case so that we can change it,” he said.
2. Cervical cancer continues to pose unnecessary threat
Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented, yet thousands of women are still at risk.
While cervical cancer incidence rates decreased by more than half from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s due to screening uptake, these numbers have since stabilized, according to the report.
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A projected 13,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2025 and 4,000 will die, according to Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified obstetrician gynecologist in Dallas, Texas.
Cervical cancer risk and rates of mortality correlate to connectivity with a healthcare provider, one expert said. (iStock)
“Cervical cancer in women from 30 to 44 is increasing,” she told Fox News Digital. “But also, this is a cancer that has the potential to be eradicated, if not eliminated, because of us knowing the understanding of HPV and its prevalence in the disease.”
HPV (human papillomavirus infection), the most common cause of cervical cancer, can be detected through testing.
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“We have innovation and technology that should be decreasing certain cervical cancer rates,” Shepherd said.
3. Some communities lack healthcare access
The ACS report found that Native Americans and Black people continue to die at higher rates than White people for several different cancers.
Among cervical cancer patients, the death rate in Black women and Native American women is 50% and 70% higher than in white women.
The five-year relative survival rate for cervical cancer in Black women is 58% compared to 67% of White women, the report found.
Black women are 50% more likely to die from cervical cancer than White women, the report found. (iStock)
This discrepancy in mortality rate is most likely due to lack of access to doctors and regular screenings, added Shepherd, who pushed for more research, awareness and public education.
“Cervical cancer is preventable through screening with the Pap plus HPV and co-testing,” she said. “If we had the ability to have more potential early detection, then we could see abnormalities in cells … before it actually gets to cancer and could take the time to address it.”
4. GI cancer diagnoses are worsening
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, such as pancreatic, liver, colorectal and stomach cancers, are all considered highly deadly.
The ACS report noted that colorectal diagnoses in men and women under the age of 65 have continued to increase.
Between 2012 and 2021, colorectal cancer incidence rates increased by 2.4% each year in people younger than 50 and by 0.4% per year in adults 50 to 64.
Colorectal cancer diagnoses in men and women under the age of 65 have continued to increase, according to ACS. (iStock)
Progress against pancreatic cancer is also trailing other cancers, according to the report, as incidence and mortality rates increase by 1% each year in men and women.
The ACS noted that in 2025, an estimated 67,440 new cases of pancreatic cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. and 51,980 people will die from it.
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The death rate for pancreatic cancer has increased by 0.2% to 0.3% each year in men and women, and the five-year relative survival rate is 13%, which Strauss described as “dismal.”
Oberstein, a GI specialist, noted that these types of cancers “often have very poor outcomes,” although there have been some improvements in early detection and treatment over the last few decades.
Gastrointestinal cancers “often have very poor outcomes,” one oncologist cautioned. (iStock)
“The biggest benefit we’ve seen in terms of mortality comes from earlier detection of GI cancers,” he told Fox News Digital, adding that colon cancer has the best outcomes when detected early.
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“But we really need to double down on trying to detect stomach cancer, liver cancer and especially pancreatic cancer earlier in order to make a big difference,” Oberstein said.
Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
Health
Katie Couric couldn’t remember the year or the president during frightening brain episode
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
Health
One walking habit could signal a healthier brain after 80, scientists say
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
Health
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