Surviving the Coming Cancer Boom

If you were born between the years 1946 and 1964 you are as young as 51 and as old as 69, which puts you and me squarely in the “boomer” generation.  I was born in 1955 and will turn 60 in October, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.

The post-war Baby Boom created a statistical anomaly in the age distribution of the population, a “bulge” known as “a pig in the python”. The imagery is fitting.  During every stage of life, my generation has created a “boom” as it passed through.  First it was in housing and the creation of suburbs after the Second World War, then a building boom for schools, followed by a boom in higher education, technology start-ups and so forth.  It should come as no surprise that, as the “me” generation gets older and begins to retire in greater numbers, we are not only going to stress social security and Medicare, we are going to create a new boom in age-related disease. Cancer will be chief among them.

Steve Jobs, who died in 2011 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 56, is emblematic of our age. He was someone dealing with cancer at about the same time as I was.  All the money in the world could not save him.  What might have saved him was screening and early detection.  Too bad there is no way to screen for this disease.  Until recently there was no accepted way to screen for lung cancer either.  Now, at least, an annual low-dose CT scan is recommended for people considered to be at high risk – smokers or former smokers between the ages of 55 and 74 who have a 30-pack year history of smoking or quit less than 15 years ago.

I’ve been spared from succumbing to cancer, at least for the time being. But I’ve learned my lesson.  As a two-time cancer survivor (both late-stage lung cancer and early stage melanoma) I don’t miss any recommended screenings. I get screened for lung cancer and prostate cancer once a year.  I get screened for melanoma every six months.  I have had a colonoscopy every three years since I turned 50. I get a blood screening every six months followed by a visit to see my family doctor to get the results. I have a digital prostate exam on a regular basis.  I know my LDL, HDL, CSA, PSA and every other indicator in my blood that can provide a “heads up” about potential health problems. The key to surviving cancer is an early diagnosis. Without screening, the coming cancer boom will decimate the boomer generation.

I'm considered an “early boomer” (people born between 1946 and 1955). This cohort accounts for roughly 38 million Americans. “Late boomers” born between 1956 and 1964 are another 38 million people. In all, there are roughly 76 million boomers including roughly 11 million who, like Jobs, have already died. There has been an equal number of new immigrants to replace them. Baby boomers account for roughly one-quarter of the American population.

Many baby boomers are former smokers or were exposed to second hand tobacco growing up.  In the 1950’s cigarettes were recommended by doctors as an appetite suppressant.  I remember one of my chores as a kid was to empty and clean the ash trays scattered around the house. Back then asbestos was commonly used in construction as a fire retardant. DDT was sprayed on the family lawn to kill the dandelions. Boomer generation military veterans were exposed to Agent Orange, napalm, not to mention tobacco, marijuana, and who knows what other carcinogens and pollutants.  The symptoms from all the carcinogen exposures we’ve had during our lifetime will start to show up as we begin to age.

We boomers grew up in the 60’s, the decade known for the anti-establishment, counter-culture movement, the sexual revolution and free love. That was followed by oral contraception, woman’s liberation and a boom in sexually transmitted diseases. (There were only two major STDs in 1960 -- gonorrhea and syphilis – when “Leave it to Beaver” was on TV.  Now there are over 25 major STDs!) Today we are pitched Viagra and Cialis for erectile dysfunction, and vaginal cream during the nightly news, as if not having sex is going to kill you.

The real threat to the health and happiness of the baby boom generation in the coming decade will be the ravages of cancer.  Ask your today doctor what screening are right for you.  It could save your life.