“An oncologist told me a few years ago, the younger you develop breast cancer, the more aggressive it tends to be.”
That is awful. A cousin of mine who is a doctor said as a person ages their chances of developing a cancer increases. My friend’s Uncle Steve celebrated his 100th birthday in October. Uncle Steve found out he had stomach cancer and was gone by January.
Mrs. henkster was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2016. She got the best care but was gone September of 2018 just after her 60th birthday. The problem with stomach cancer is that usually by the time its discovered, its already spread. The 5 year survival rate for her cancer is only 15%. When my wife’s was discovered, it was all through her large intestine. And the doctors at MD Anderson weren’t sure how it was spreading because it was not progressing normally. When the world’s leading cancer experts tell you that, you aren’t making it into the 15%.
So while age has some bearing, the type of cancer and whether it’s detected early enough is a major factor.
Perhaps it's true that cancer is less aggressive in older people BUT also true that older people are less able to fight it and that makes the difference in our perception that more old people die from this terrible scourge.