Paul Oberstein, Director of the Department of Gastroenterological Oncology Program, Perlmatter University, Langon University, said: “This population is under-represented in cancer research, and its numbers continue to grow. So why is this happening?” “It’s important to do more research to understand what’s going on.” The cancer center was not involved in this study.
Oberstein said that if there are young people whose cancer risk increases with age, the concern is that their cancer risk may be transmitted. “If we don’t understand what causes this risk and we can’t do anything to change it, I fear that it will become a bigger and bigger challenge as time goes on.”
There is no clear explanation for why cancer is on the rise among young people, but experts say there are several possible reasons behind the trend. obesity Price, lifestyle factors, etc. drink alcohol, smokinglack of sleep, sedentary. environmental factorsand exposure to pollutants and carcinogenic chemicals may also play a role.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 560,000 US patients diagnosed with early-onset cancer (defined as cancer affecting people younger than age 50) between 2010 and 2019.
Overall, we found that early-onset cancer diagnoses increased by nearly 1% during the study period. The number of cases increased from 56,051 in 2010 to 56,468. The trend was most pronounced in the 30- to 39-year-old age group, where the number of cases increased by approximately 19 percent.
Juvenile breast cancer and other cancers
Certain types of cancer increased significantly. Breast cancer, for example, accounts for the largest number of cancer cases among young people, increasing by about 8% over the decade, said Daniel Huang, an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore and a liver transplant specialist at the university. Hospital, the lead author of this study.
Gastrointestinal cancers such as those of the colon, appendix and bile duct increased in numbers by about 15 percent during this period, making them the fastest growing type of cancer among young people, he said.
The difference between men and women was striking. The number of early-onset cancers in women increased by 4.4 percent during the study period. Among men, the number decreased by nearly 5 percent. The increase seen among young women was probably caused by increases in breast and uterine cancers.
Although the total numbers were small, the greatest increases in young cancers by race were in patients of Asian or Pacific Islander descent (32%) and Hispanics (28%). The number of young black patients infected decreased slightly, about 5%. It is unclear whether this decrease is meaningful or whether cases are underdiagnosed.
Overall, young people diagnosed with cancer still represent a relatively small proportion of all cancer cases, but the increase is nonetheless alarming.
“It’s an important trend, especially if it continues, but it’s only part of what’s happening in oncology,” he said. Otis Brawleyan oncologist at Johns Hopkins University Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Because cancer staging was not examined in the study, it is unclear from the data whether early-onset cancers developed early or were simply diagnosed early in the course of the disease, the experts said. explained.
Identification of early-onset cancer risk factors
Although most cancer risk factors are based primarily on studies in older adults, studies are still investigating how certain exposures early in life affect cancer risk later in life. It’s designed to help us understand, said cancer epidemiologist Hyuna Song, senior chief scientist at the American Cancer Society. .
Studies like JAMA “motivate new research to help identify risk factors that may explain these trends,” she said.
Other studies have shown that colorectal cancer diagnoses tend to be younger. One in five new cases of colorectal cancer in the U.S. occurs in people under the age of 55, and that rate has nearly doubled in the past 30 years, according to a worrying report. . Recent reports From the American Cancer Society.
In 2018, the American Cancer Society updated its report. colorectal cancer screening guidelines, Lowering the starting age of screening for people at average risk from 50 to 45.
Experts say trends like those seen in the new study need to be monitored closely because they could influence other screening recommendations, including breast cancer.
“As we continue to improve our identification of those at higher risk at younger ages, screening methods will also need to be adjusted,” he said. Jennifer Lyttonbreast medical oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
An estimated 1.9 million new cancers are diagnosed in the United States each year. Screening tests may not exist for certain cancers, and even when they do, testing is often not recommended for young people at average risk.
Brawley said one of the most important things people can do to minimize their risk is to control their weight, exercise, limit their alcohol intake and avoid smoking.
