Motol Hospital reports rising cancer rates in young adults

While oncological diagnoses among young children remain stable, there is a rising incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults, according to Lucie Šrámková, head of the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic at Motol and Homolka University Hospital.

Common cancers in young children include various forms of leukemia and immature tumors of the liver, kidneys, or nerve tissue. In contrast, young adults are seeing an increase in intestinal tumors, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer in women under 40. Adolescents frequently suffer from tumors of the lymph nodes, bones, or soft tissues.

Šrámková noted that while biological treatments are advancing, survival rates remain low for certain diagnoses, particularly soft tissue sarcomas with metastases and certain brain tumors.

To support patients, the hospital introduced the ‘Plešouni’ project, which aims to make intensive treatment more comfortable for children. As part of this initiative, artist Eliška Soffer Podzimek, a former patient, redesigned the clinic's hallway and created a ten-part animated series to help explain medical procedures to young patients.