Cancer is affecting more young people in the United States and around the world, leaving doctors perplexed and alarmed. Diagnosis rates in the U.S. increased in 2019 to 107.8 cases per 100,000 people under 50, a 12.8% rise from 95.6 cases in 2000, according to federal data. A study published last year by BMJ Oncology reported a sharp global increase in cancer among people under 50, with the highest rates in North America, Australia, and Western Europe.
Doctors are racing to find out what is making this generation sick and how to identify the young people at greater risk. They suspect that changes in how we live—less physical activity, more ultra-processed foods, new toxins—have increased the risk for younger generations.
The death of actor Chadwick Boseman, at 43, from colon cancer in 2020, drew public attention to the rising prevalence of colorectal cancer in people under 50, a trend that alarmed oncologists. They recognize that the crisis extends to some other types of cancers, including pancreas, appendix, stomach, and uterus.
The good news is that the cancer mortality rate in the U.S. has dropped by a third since 1991, thanks to declines in smoking and better treatments. Screening to detect cancer earlier, including breast cancer, has also contributed to this reduction.
Although cancer still strikes the elderly far more frequently than the young, the increase in cancer among young people threatens to stall this progress. One in five new colorectal cancer patients in 2019 was under 55, nearly double since 1995. These younger patients are often diagnosed at advanced stages. Mortality rates for colorectal cancer among patients over 65 are decreasing, but for those under 50, they are rising.
However, not all types of cancers are increasing among the young. Breast cancer, the most common in the U.S. among people under 50, is rising only slightly, but gastrointestinal tumors are increasing the fastest, studies show.
In hopes of capturing cases earlier, medical groups have lowered the recommended age for starting breast cancer screening to 40 and 45 for colorectal cancer.
Doctors are desperate to find out what is putting people at greater risk. If they don’t figure it out now, another generation will also have to face this disease.
The risk of developing certain types of cancer at a young age has increased for every generation born since the 1950s, studies suggest. One found that people born in the 1990s are twice as likely to develop colon cancer and four times as likely to develop rectal cancer compared to those born around 1950.
Cancer begins with genetic mutations that prompt cells to multiply uncontrollably, spreading and forming tumors. These mutations accumulate as we age, increasing cancer risk. For the current generation of young people, however, something is triggering this cascade of uncontrolled cell production earlier.
Researchers are examining possible causes ranging from sedentary lifestyles to the presence of certain bacteria. Oncologists have found a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer at a young age among women who spend a lot of time sitting. Drinking sugary beverages is also correlated with a higher risk. Even being born by cesarean section seems to link another group of women to a greater risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.
Fried and highly processed foods have been implicated in other studies of early-onset colorectal cancer, while diets high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables likely reduce risks. Colorectal, breast, and pancreatic cancers have been associated with obesity, and studies support a link between excess weight and early-onset cancer.
But doctors say that obesity and a sedentary lifestyle do not fully explain the early onset of cancer since many patients arrive at clinics very healthy.
Some doctors suspect that the causes of cancer in some people may begin during childhood, something that is difficult to trace. Unlike when smoking drove the rise in lung cancer deaths in the 20th century, doctors suspect that there is no single carcinogen responsible for current trends. Some fear that the growing cancer risk among the young is a sign of deeper problems. Are we becoming less healthy?
Source: The Wall Street Journal