ABSTRACT
Cancer is ranked one of the leading causes of death in the twenty-first century. In 2018, it is estimated that there will be roughly 18 million new cases of cancer and 10 million cancer deaths. Based on the number of new cases, the most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer around the world (percent of all cases) include lung (12%), breast (12%), colorectal (10%), prostate (7%), stomach (6%), and liver (5%). However, within individual countries, the incidence and mortality due to oncological malignancy varies based on socioeconomic factors. Additionally, incidence of cancer increases with age, with almost a third of cancer diagnoses occurring in adults over the age of 75 years [1,2]. Only about 5% of cancers in the United States occur in individuals below the age of 40 years. Cancer in children and young adults 292appear to be more likely due to inherited genetic predisposition, viral infection (HIV, HPV, etc.), exposures to chemotherapy or radiation from treatment of childhood cancer, or exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from tanning beds or from the sun. These exposures occurring in young individuals play an important role in cancer risk as they age [3].
