What Students Don't Know About Cancer Could Kill Them
A new California resolution aims to change how campuses talk about cancer — but awareness alone may not be enough.
Written by: Camilla Fezzi
Walking across a vibrant college campus, health is often viewed through the lens of flu seasons, mental wellness, or sports injuries. But there is a silent threat lurking in the blind spots of student health centers across California and the nation. Most college students vastly underestimate their cancer risk, operating under the dangerous assumption that oncology wards are strictly reserved for their grandparents. Yet, while campus health programs thoroughly cover diet, mental health, and sexual wellness, they rarely include comprehensive cancer screening education — leaving a generation of young adults dangerously unprepared.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and while incidence rates are highest in older populations, a growing body of research shows that several cancer types disproportionately affect — or go undetected in — young adults. The consequences of that silence can be fatal.
The Gap Nobody Talks About
Young adults aged 18 to 29 represent the demographic least likely to receive recommended cancer screenings or engage in proactive oncology discussions with their physicians. A landmark study published by the American Cancer Society (ACS) found that nearly 1.9 million new cancer cases were expected in the United States in 2024 alone — and yet awareness and screening behavior among young adults remains critically low.
Medical professionals warn that cervical, testicular, skin, melanoma, and early-onset colorectal cancers are actively and increasingly affecting young people. Alarmingly, the ACS reports that colorectal cancer rates among adults under 50 have been rising by approximately 2.4% per year since the mid-1990s — a trend so pronounced that the recommended screening age was lowered from 50 to 45 in 2021. Despite these realities, structured cancer education is conspicuously absent from most campus health curricula.
"I had no idea I was supposed to start thinking about colorectal screenings at 45 — or that there were cancers actively affecting people my age right now," reflects a common sentiment among college students surveyed at community health events. The silence leaves an entire generation vulnerable, unequipped to recognize warning signs in their own bodies or advocate for screening conversations with their doctors.
For more on cancers affecting young adults, visit the ASCO Cancer.Net Young AdultResources or the Stupid Cancer advocacy organization, the nation's leading nonprofit dedicated to young adult oncology.
The Data Behind the Crisis
The statistics paint a stark picture of a public health challenge hiding in plain sight:
Cervical Cancer: The CDC estimates approximately 11,500 new cases ofcervical cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, the majority in women under
50. It is almost entirely preventable through HPV vaccination and regular Pap smears — yet vaccination rates among college-aged adults remain well below target levels.
Testicular Cancer: According to the American Cancer Society, testicular cancer is the most common cancer in males aged 15–35. It has a high cure rate when detected early, but awareness of self-examination techniques is rarely discussed in campus health settings.
Melanoma & Skin Cancer: The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that melanoma is the most common cancer for young adults aged 25–29 and the second most common for those aged 15–29. Exposure to UV radiation during college years — through outdoor activities and tanning beds — significantly increases lifetime risk.
Colorectal Cancer (Early Onset): Once considered a disease of older populations, the American College of Gastroenterology now classifies early-onset colorectal cancer as a growing public health crisis, with incidence rising fastest in adults aged 20–49.
These are not abstractions. These are diseases that kill and disable young people in the prime of their lives — and the majority are highly survivable when caught early.
A Resolution Takes Shape in California
Recognizing this critical educational void, a new California Assembly Resolution authored by Kaitlyn Lee aims to systematically change the narrative at the legislative level. The resolution calls for the proclamation of the second full week of October as "Student Cancer Education, Detection, and Prevention Week" — an annual statewide effort to align schools, colleges, community organizations, health professionals, and families around cancer awareness.
The resolution's WHEREAS clauses are grounded in public health evidence, noting that:
Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death among people of all ages.
Young people benefit immensely from increased awareness of cancer risk factors, prevention strategies, and early detection methods.
Education can empower students to make healthier lifestyle choices that significantly reduce long-term cancer risk.
Engaging students in age-appropriate discussions reduces stigma and builds community resilience.
The resolution's RESOLVED clauses call on middle schools, high schools, colleges, public health agencies, and pediatricians to promote comprehensive educational campaigns on cancer risk factors, warning signs, evidence-based prevention strategies, and the importance of timely screenings. This is a model that advocates across the country should study and replicate.
You can track similar California legislative efforts through the California LegislativeInformation portal (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov) and follow cancer-specific advocacy through ACS CAN (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network).
While resolutions of this nature are instrumental in building public will and establishing legislative priorities, public health experts caution they must be backed by tangible, recurring funding and mandatory actionable campus programming to generate measurable real-world impact. A designated week without curriculum, resources, or institutional accountability risks becoming a well-intentioned but ultimately ceremonial gesture.
What Early Detection Actually Looks Like in Practice
The stakes of closing this knowledge gap are enormous. Catching cancer early is not just medically preferable — it is often the difference between life and death, and between a manageable treatment course and devastating financial toxicity.
Consider these survival rate comparisons from the National Cancer Institute's SEERDatabase:
Colorectal Cancer: 5-year survival rate at Stage I is over 90%; at Stage IV it falls to approximately 14%.
Cervical Cancer: 5-year survival at Stage I is approximately 92%; at Stage IV it is approximately 17%.
Melanoma: 5-year survival at Stage I is approximately 99%; at Stage IV it drops to approximately 30%.
Early detection is not passive luck — it is an active, educated choice. On campuses, it means:
HPV Vaccination: The CDC recommends the HPV vaccine for all individuals through age 26, and shared clinical decision-making for ages 27–45. It prevents up to 6 types of cancer. Many campus health centers offer it at low or no cost.
Routine Skin Checks: The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends monthly head-to-toe self-examinations and annual professional skin checks for those with elevated risk factors.
Family History Awareness: Knowing whether first-degree relatives have had breast, ovarian, colorectal, or other hereditary cancers can flag the need for earlier and more frequent screenings. The CDC's Family Health History tools are a free starting point.
Testicular Self-Exams: The ACS recommends monthly self-examination for young men aged 15–35 to detect abnormalities early, when treatment is most effective.
To be truly effective on the diverse, multilingual campuses of California, all of this education must be culturally relevant and available in multiple languages. The ACSHealth Equity initiative and California's own Cancer Screening and Control Branch(CSCB) offer resources to help institutions serve underrepresented communities more effectively.
What Schools and Legislators Must Do: A Policy Roadmap
Awareness weeks and informational posters are a starting point — but they are not a strategy. Translating legislative intent into student outcomes requires concrete institutional commitment. Based on evidence from comparable campus public health campaigns, the following actions are recommended:
1. Integrate cancer literacy into orientation and general education requirements. Every incoming student should learn the warning signs of the most common young-adult cancers, how to access screening services, and how to have productive conversations with healthcare providers.
2. Train campus health staff on cancer screening protocols. Campus health center providers should be equipped to offer HPV vaccination counseling, refer students for appropriate screenings, and discuss family history risk assessment — not just treat acute illness.
3. Fund mobile and pop-up screening access. Partnering with organizations like ACS Hope Lodge and screening partner networks or local FQHCs to bring low-cost or no-cost screenings directly to campuses removes the cost and transportation barriers that prevent students from seeking care off-campus.
4. Establish peer health advocate programs focused on cancer. Peer-to-peer education has been shown to be one of the most effective models for behavior change among young adults. Training student advocates to lead discussions on cancer prevention creates a sustainable cultural shift.
5. Appropriate dedicated funding. The California Student Cancer Education Week resolution is only as powerful as the programming it inspires. Legislators should pair proclamation language with appropriations to health education grants for community colleges and CSU/UC campuses.
Beyond Awareness: A Call to Action
Awareness weeks are a vital spark — but sparks require fuel to become flame. If we are serious about reducing cancer mortality among California's young people, awareness must be systematically paired with robust policy, sustainable funding, and genuinely accessible healthcare resources.
The data demands urgency. The resolution offers momentum. Now comes the harder, more important work: turning recognition into action, and action into lives saved.
Students: Get informed. Know your body. Ask your doctor about age-appropriate screenings. Get the HPV vaccine. Know your family history.
Faculty & Staff: Integrate cancer awareness into your mentorship, classroom discussions, and department wellness initiatives.
Legislators: Back this resolution with funding. Mandate cancer literacy in public school health curricula. Require community college health centers to offer cancer screening navigation services.
Administrators: Formally endorse the Student Cancer Education Week resolution and commit to programming, not just proclamations.
Our students' lives may quite literally depend on how seriously we take this moment.
Works Cited
American Cancer Society. (2024). Cancer Facts & Figures 2024. cancer.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Cancer Among Young Adults. cdc.gov
National Cancer Institute SEER Program. (2023). Cancer Stat Facts. seer.cancer.gov
Skin Cancer Foundation. (2023). Skin Cancer Facts & Statistics. skincancer.org
American Cancer Society. (2023). Colorectal Cancer Key Statistics. cancer.org
CDC. (2023). HPV Vaccine Recommendations. cdc.gov
CDC. (2023). Cervical Cancer Statistics. cdc.gov
ACS CAN — American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. fightcancer.org
California Legislative Information. Track California Bills. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Dept. of Public Health, Cancer Screening & Control Branch. cdph.ca.gov
Stupid Cancer — Young Adult Cancer Advocacy. stupidcancer.org
ASCO Cancer.Net. Young Adult Cancer Resources. cancer.net
