Cancer Cases Increasing Among Younger Individuals

According to a new assessment of cancer cases in the United States, there is both good news and troubling news. The good news is that cancer numbers are decreasing for individuals aged 50 and older. However, the troubling news is that cancer cases have increased among those under 50, particularly among women in their 30s, as reported by the Washington Post. This information comes from a study published in JAMA Network Open, which analyzed data from over 560,000 US patients between 2010 and 2019. Here are some key findings:

• The rate of cancer among individuals in their 30s rose nearly 20% during this time period.
• Gastrointestinal cancers, including those of the colon, pancreas, and appendix, increased by 15% among the younger-than-50 group. This makes it the type of cancer with the fastest growth rate, according to HealthDay News.
• Breast cancer accounted for the highest number of cancer cases among individuals under 50, with an increase of approximately 8% in the past decade.
• Early-onset cancer, defined as cases in individuals under 50, rose by 4.4% among women but declined by 4.9% among men.

It is important to note that cancer among younger people is relatively rare, as stated by Hyuna Sung of the American Cancer Society, who was not involved in the study. However, Sung emphasizes that the increase in cases “has significant implications” and should be considered as a predictor of future trends. Lead study author Dr. Daniel Huang of the National University of Singapore acknowledges that the cause of this spike is unclear, but potential factors such as obesity, heavy drinking, and smoking have been cited. Paul Oberstein, an expert from the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Program at NYU, who was not involved in the study, emphasizes the need for more research on this population. He states, “This is a population that has been less focused in cancer research, and their numbers are growing, so it is important to conduct more research to understand why this is happening,” as reported by the Post. (Read more cancer stories.)