35-year-old East Tennessee man diagnosed with brain cancer amid increase in early-onset cancer

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — If you’re young, most likely the last thing on your mind is cancer, but cancer is hitting more adults at younger ages-before they turn 40, 50 or even earlier.

It’s one of the simple joys of being a parent, spending time with your toddler on a pretty day at the park, but it takes extra stamina for one young dad who takes nothing for granted. Tyler Wells just finished his final radiation treatment for brain cancer, barely 24 hours before this special time with his son.

“Today, right now,” Wells said, “We’re feeling good. We’re feeling positive and tired.”

Wells, at the age of 35, is among a growing number of young people ages 18 to 49 who are being diagnosed with cancer. These cases are known as early-onset cancers.

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The latest research shows an increase worldwide by a shocking 79 percent. The deadliest diagnoses: breast cancer, lung cancer, stomach and colorectal cancers, according to a 2023 study published in the journal BMJ Oncology. We wanted to know why.

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