Aggressive tumors, from pancreas to myeloma, increasingly more cases in young women: study reveals why

More and more cases of aggressive tumors in young womensuch as pancreatic cancer, but also stomach or colorectal cancer and myeloma. One study promoted and coordinated by the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute (Ire) of Rome and by the Institute of Biochemistry and Cellular Biology of the National Research Council (Ibbc-Cnr), published in the journal ‘Bmc Medicine’ of the Springer Nature group, highlights “a significant increase in the incidence of aggressive tumors” in under 35s. A trend probably linked to the spread of unhealthy lifestyles, the authors hypothesize. The Institute for Applications of Calculus ‘Mauro Picone’ of the Cnr and the Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health Unit of the University of Padua also collaborated on the work.

The analysis, based on over 10 million cases registered in the Seer database (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results of the National Cancer Institute USA) between 2000 and 2020 and relating to the US population – a note reports – shows a particularly rapid increase in the incidence of pancreatic cancer in women aged 18 to 34, with growth rates almost double those in men the same age group. The data indicate an average annual growth rate of 9.37% among women aged 18 to 26, compared to 4.43% among men. In addition to pancreatic cancer, there has been an increase in the incidence rates of other aggressive cancers, such as gastric cancer, myeloma and colorectal cancer, among young women.

This trend, according to experts, could be explained by changes in the lifestyles of the new generations, with an increase in early exposure to risk factors typical of the adult populationsuch as obesity, diabetes, excessive alcohol and cigarette consumption. The growth of these early-onset tumors requires special attention from researchers and physicians, directing all efforts towards early diagnosis and innovative therapies.

“The results of our research – says Luca Cardone, Ire and Cnr-Ibbc researcher, responsible and coordinator of the study – demonstrate that especially in the last 10 years, a general increase in the incidence has been observed, among young people, of some tumors that have high mortality rates. Furthermore, our studies reveal a gender disparity in young people under 35, with women showing higher incidence rates than men for some of these particularly aggressive tumors. Targeted studies are currently underway to investigate the trends of exposure in young adults to common risk factors for increasing neoplasms, such as obesity, diabetes, alcohol and cigarette consumption”.

“In light of these data – underlines Gennaro Ciliberto, scientific director of Ire – it is It is essential to promote awareness campaigns on the risks associated with unhealthy lifestyles among young adults, and consider developing specific screening programs for at-risk groups. Although there are still no consolidated guidelines for the early diagnosis of tumors such as pancreatic cancer, especially among young people, greater attention and awareness of the symptoms could favor early diagnosis and significantly improve the clinical outcomes of these aggressive diseases”.

These studies – the note concludes – demonstrate how sex and gender are key variables in scientific research, to improve the precision and equity of care. In this regard, the document ‘Recommendations for the application of gender medicine in preclinical, epidemiological and clinical research’ has recently been published in the ‘Journal of Personalized Medicine’, the result of the work of the Research and Innovation group of the Observatory dedicated to gender medicine of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, coordinated by Marialuisa Appetecchia, representing the Irccs and head of Oncological Endocrinology Ire-Ifo.