“The Young Face of Cancer”: Hope for New Treatments, Early Detection, Ongoing Research.

Over the last decade, scientists have predicted an astounding 30% increase in early-onset cancers. Young women of colour almost die at a higher rate than any other group.

While reporting, we look at numbers, potential causes, and feeding cancer is taking on people between the ages of 18 and 49, but there is a reason to hope.

We live in a metropolitan area. There, doctors have access to modern treatments and researchers are testing new ways to detect cancer more than ever before.

percentage. Odds. Survival rate. Numbers play an important role in cancer diagnosis.

Read more: Interactive cancer risk assessment tools and other resources to navigate diagnosis and treatment

Cancer patients speak numbers

“The place I am now is much farther than I thought compared to two years ago,” said Chris Norton, a 36-year-old diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

“They're diagnosed at 49,” said Tom Brown, a prostate cancer survivor diagnosed at the age of 49.

“The five-year mark will soon recur and repeat itself and I hope I can just live,” said Julietland Grave, 37, who was diagnosed with late-stage triple-negative breast cancer.

“Online, I can see that my prognosis is 12-18 months. Now I can tell you that these are not my numbers,” said Zach Salazar, 38, who was diagnosed with glioblastoma.

Hope for a new treatment

The promising work that will add years to people's lives is being done at Cancer Centers in Southern California.

“Every year new medicines, new treatments come out,” said Dr. Niki Tank, a medical oncologist at Huntington Cancer Center in Pasadena.

In her practice, she uses new medications previously reserved for breast cancer metastasis or advanced stages, which keeps the disease at bay in early stage patients.

“We can reduce the risk of cancer coming back and spreading to a third. This is huge. It's huge. This is a game changer,” she said.

Other game-changers include immunotherapy.

“Whatever we can do to utilize our body's own immune system,” said Dr. Edward S. Kim, a doctor at Hope City.

Monoclonal antibodies are part of precision medicine that directly targets cancer cells.

“They're much better to endure, they're more effective,” Tank said.

FDA-approved cusp treatments are available to those participating in clinical trials.

“We're here to drive the future of cancer research, to find the next medicine,” said Lanis Berry, Vice President of Nursing at DNP. She oversees about 800 studies taking place in Hope Plaza, more than anywhere else in the state.

“Today, clinical trial participation is the first to line up to access something new and potentially good,” said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society.

And is there even a few months before it could cause disease that is better than detecting fragments of tumor cell DNA? Everything is done by blood collection.

“They are already used for a variety of cancers, including lung cancer, colon cancer, leukemia,” Tank said.

Reduce the risk of cancer

Conclusive findings on alcohol consumption, vaping, HPV vaccines and processed foods can help young people reduce individual risks.

“We know there are about 13 different cancers, especially breast, ovarian, endometrial and colon cancers that appear to be linked to being overweight or obese,” Kamal said.

Doctors say that a healthy weight can reduce your risk, but they won't answer any questions about what's causing an increase in cancer rates.

But, as we saw with all the young cancer patients we spoke about, for unexplained reasons, you can still be a catastrophic diagnosis. But hope is powerful.

Zach and Kori are looking for more time together with their kids, but also looking for opportunities for a more scientific breakthrough.

“Every day I'm still on this planet, it's one step closer to me, right? That's what I believe. So as long as I'm still ticking and the researchers are doing their job, I can expect treatment,” Zach said.

You can look into ongoing research at ClinicalTrials.gov. And discuss it with your doctor.

All the patients and experts we spoke to hope that it will take time for you to take care of yourself and each other. This means that screenings and discussions will not be postponed. Cancer is not something you just get through like a cold.

Visit to learn more about the resources of patients, family and friends to see all the reports on this week's “Faces of Cancer Changes.” abc7.com/health.