{
  "id": 2525238,
  "title": "PDPI: Lung Cancer Now Affects Patients in Their 20s",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/pdpi-lung-cancer-now-affects-patients-in-their-20s",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-22T07:19:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tempo.co English",
    "slug": "tempo-co-english",
    "url": "https://en.tempo.co/read/2118075/pdpi-lung-cancer-now-affects-patients-in-their-20s"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Indonesian Respiratory Doctor Association (PDPI) reports that lung cancer is now affecting young adults as young as 20 years old in Indonesia. This is a concerning trend, as the average age for cancer patients in the country is currently 40, which is lower than the global average of 45 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Erlang Samudro, Head of the Thoracic Oncology Working Group at PDPI, disclosed that even individuals aged 20 have been diagnosed with lung cancer.\n\nInadequate access to advanced lung cancer screening is one of the key issues plaguing early detection efforts. Lung cancer screening should be tailored to individual risk levels, with high-risk patients undergoing low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans to detect minor nodules or pulmonary lesions. However, the implementation of LDCT screening throughout Indonesia is far from optimal, primarily due to the uneven distribution of LDCT technology and financial constraints. Consequently, mass screening cannot be carried out uniformly across the country.\n\nChest X-rays, another common diagnostic tool, also have limitations in identifying lung cancer. These X-rays may miss crucial indicators, particularly in areas behind the heart or covered by the scapula. Moreover, access to necessary follow-up services such as thoracic radiology, bronchoscopy, pathology, and therapy is unevenly distributed, further hindering early detection efforts. Consequently, most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages of the illness, with approximately 70 to 80 percent of lung cancer patients in Indonesia being diagnosed at stages III or IV.",
  "summary": "The Indonesian Respiratory Doctor Association (PDPI) warns that lung cancer is increasingly affecting younger patients.",
  "key_points": [
    "Lung cancer now affects young adults as young as 20 in Indonesia.",
    "Inadequate access to advanced lung cancer screening hinders early detection.",
    "Chest X-rays and follow-up services are unevenly distributed, complicating early detection."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}