More and more cases of cancer among young people. A dramatic trend described several times by many experts at an international level, which is now confirmed in a large study by the American Cancer Society (Acs). The report, published in ‘The Lancet Public Health’, indicates that Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and the Millennials (1980-1994), compared to older generations, have a increased risk of developing 17 cancers including breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer. Not only that. Along with the number of cases, among the younger generations mortality also increases for cancers of the liver (in women only), uterus, gallbladder, testicles and colorectal cancers.
The analysis is based on incidence data collected from over 23.6 million patients (23,654,000) diagnosed with 34 types of cancer and mortality data on over 7.3 million deaths (7,348,137) caused by 25 neoplasms, for people aged 25 to 84 years in the period from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019. Information obtained from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and the National Center for Health Statistics, respectively.
The most common types of cancer among young people
The authors observed that, in the birth cohorts that followed each other every 5 years starting in 1920, the incidence rates progressively increased, cohort after cohort, for 8 of the 34 types of cancer. In particular, they were approximately double or triple in the 1990 birth cohort compared to the 1955 cohort for pancreatic, kidney and small intestine cancersin both sexes.
Furthermore, incidence rates increased in the younger cohorts, after a decline in the older groups, for 9 of the remaining tumors including estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, uterine cancer, colorectal cancer, non-cardiac stomach cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, anal cancer in males, and Kaposi’s sarcoma in malesThe increase in the incidence rate of the various neoplasms, in the 1990 birth cohort compared to the cohort with the lowest incidence rate, ranged from +12% for ovarian cancer to +169% for uterine cancer.
“The reason is still unknown”
“These findings add to the growing evidence of increased cancer risk in post-Baby Boomer generations, expanding previous data on early-onset colorectal cancer and some obesity-related cancers to include a broader range of cancer types,” said Hyuna Sung, a cancer epidemiologist in the ACS Surveillance & Health Equity Department and the study’s first author. “Birth cohorts share unique social, economic, political, and climate environments that influence their exposure to cancer risk factors during their critical developmental years,” she said, adding that “we don’t yet have a clear explanation for why these rates of cancer are increasing” in younger generations.
“Increasing cancer rates among younger people,” said senior author Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of the ACS Surveillance & Health Equity Department, “indicate generational changes in cancer risk and are often an early indicator of the future impact of cancer in a country. Without effective population-level interventions, he warned. In the future, there could be an overall increase in the cancer burden, halting or reversing decades of progress against the disease. The data highlight the critical need to identify and address cancer risk factors in Gen X and Millennials to define prevention strategies.”
In her commentary, Lisa Lacasse, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), highlights the value of a health care system that ensures care is as equitable as possible. “The growing burden of cancer among younger generations,” she writes, “underscores the importance of ensuring that people of all ages have access to comprehensive and affordable health insurance. It is a key factor,” she warns, “in cancer outcomes.”
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