From 1990 to 2019, the number of early-onset cancer cases worldwide increased by 79%, and mortality from it rose by 28%. By 2030, a 31% increase in cancer among young people is predicted.
Between 1990 and 2019, the number of early-onset cancer cases worldwide increased by 79%, and the mortality rate from it rose by 28%. The generation born after 1990 faces a steadily increasing risk of developing at least 17 types of cancer, including those of the small intestine and pancreas. This is evidenced by research published in the journal Lancet Public Health, reports UNN.
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Research by American oncologists shows that people born after 1990 have a steady increase in the risk of developing 17 different types of cancer.
People born after the 1980s are four times more likely to be diagnosed with rectal cancer than those born around 1950
– said Hena Son, a cancer epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society.
It is noted that if the current trend continues, by 2030, the number of cancer cases in young people worldwide will increase by 31%, and mortality by 21%.
So-called "millennials" and "zoomers," people born after 2000-2010, will be at a disproportionately high risk of developing cancer throughout their lives.
As Andrea Cercek, a gastroenterologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explains, the more data researchers collect, the clearer they understand that the trend of cancer "getting younger" is by no means an accident. More thorough screening cannot explain why this is happening.
According to researchers, environmental factors combined with lifestyle changes may be among the key factors. Researchers are considering several versions, but none of them explains the current surge in incidence. The available data indicate a combination of factors contributing to the increase in cancer cases among young people.
Scientists emphasize that the love of Westerners for consuming highly processed foods, high sugar content, and red meat is one of the most likely reasons.
The more processed components in the Western diet, the higher the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. But studies show that this link is complex. Obesity may be part of the overall picture, but not its cause.
– explains oncologist Alok Khorana from Cleveland Clinic.
Among other reasons, the rapid spread and accumulation of microplastics, both in the environment and in the human body and the products they consume, are also being considered.
According to Frank Frizell, a colorectal surgeon at the University of Otago, the causal link between microplastics and the development of cancer in young people has not yet been proven, but the dynamics of increasing plastic use are frightening and coincide with the increase in the number of cancer cases in children.
Colorectal cancer, which currently ranks second in deaths among American women under 50 and first in deaths among men, may be linked to changes in gut microbiota composition.
A 2024 study linked early exposure to colibactin, a toxin produced by some E. coli strains, to genetic mutations often observed in young colorectal cancer patients.
For most of the 20th century, colorectal cancer was predominantly found in people aged 60-70. However, for those born after the 1950s, everything changed. The environment in which they grew up – nutrition, chemicals, daily habits – seems to have accelerated the pace of the disease's development.
At the same time, very often, colorectal cancer in its initial stages proceeds without symptoms, or is diagnosed as other disorders. A survey conducted in the US among almost 900 people with early colorectal cancer showed that 54% of them initially reported something else, usually hemorrhoids. More than a third of them visited three or more doctors before learning the truth.
Some scientists now believe that early-onset tumors may grow faster than typical cancer cells, developing in 1-2 years instead of the usual 5-15. Despite the grim statistics, there is also good news: overall cancer mortality continues to decline due to better treatment and early diagnosis among older people.
WHO predicts an increase in the number of cancer cases by more than 75% by 205001.02.24, 16:28 • 22735 views
