According to experts, diets that are high in red meat, salt, and alcohol are contributing to a significant increase in cancer cases among individuals under the age of 50. A recent study has revealed that the number of cancer patients in this age group has risen by a staggering 79% over the past thirty years, with affluent countries like the UK being particularly affected. This suggests that lifestyle factors are primarily responsible for this alarming trend.
The research, which analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study encompassing 29 types of cancer in 204 countries and regions, highlighted the growing number of new cases, deaths, health consequences, and risk factors among individuals aged 14 to 49. While genetic factors may play a role, scientists point to lifestyle choices as a significant contributing factor. Diets rich in salt, tobacco and alcohol consumption are identified as the primary risk factors underlying the most common cancers in this age group.
Encouragingly, the ten-year survival rates for many common cancers have exceeded 50%, and experts believe further progress can be made in the next decade. In 2019 alone, there were 3.26 million new cancer diagnoses among individuals under 50, representing an increase of 79.1% since 1990. The most significant increases were seen in prostate and windpipe cancers, rising by 2.28% and 2.23% per year respectively, equating to a growth of over 66% since 2019. Breast cancer accounted for the largest proportion of cases, with 13.7 cases per 100,000 individuals.
While genetics are likely a contributing factor to early-onset cancer, lifestyle choices are also driving this trend. In addition to diets high in red meat and salt, the lack of fruit and milk, along with alcohol consumption, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and high blood sugars, are substantial risk factors for the most common cancers among the under-50s. The UK has some of the highest rates of overweight and obese individuals, with around two-thirds of adults and one in three children affected. Although there has been rapid progress in the survival rates for certain cancers, such as breast and prostate, other forms, like lung and pancreatic cancers, have seen considerably slower improvements.
Dr. Xue Li, from the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, who led the study, noted that while the incidence rate of early-onset cancer in the UK remained stable from 2010 to 2019, there was an upward trend from 1990 to 2010. Fortunately, the annual mortality rate for early-onset cancer has been steadily declining, a testament to the exceptional efforts made in cancer screening and treatment over the past three decades.
Cancer Research UK has claimed that advancements in cancer care have saved an estimated 1.2 million lives in the UK since the mid-1980s. This includes approximately 560,000 fewer lung cancer deaths, 236,000 stomach cancer deaths, 224,000 bowel cancer deaths, and 17,000 breast cancer deaths. Dr. Claire Knight, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, stated that the reasons for the rise in early-onset cancers are not fully understood, but factors such as exposure to risk factors in earlier life, improved cancer detection, and genetics may all play a role. More research is needed to investigate the causes of early-onset cancer for specific types, such as the ongoing BCAN-RAY study that aims to identify younger women at higher risk of breast cancer.
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