JThis month, two young celebrities announced they have cancer. First, Olivia Munn (43) revealed the following. she was treated for breast cancer Catch it early. A few days later, Kate Middleton, 42, Being treated for an unspecified form of cancer.
Their diagnosis focuses on alarming trends. Cancer is increasingly being diagnosed among adults under age 50 in the United States and around the world. By 2030, According to recent research,the number of people diagnosed with these early-onset cancers could increase by about 30% worldwide, and the number of people who die from the disease could increase by about 20%.
“The most surprising finding of the past decade is that incidence rates among young adults have increased,” says Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president for surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society (ACS).
cancer still most commonly diagnosed among people over 65 years of age. In the United States, only about 12% of cancer diagnoses occur among adults under age 50. According to ACS data. Women in the U.S. have about a 1 in 17 chance of being diagnosed before age 50, compared to about 1 in 29 for men, the ACS says. (Women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, mainly because breast cancer is so common.)
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But the odds are getting progressively worse. In 2019, about 103 cases of cancer were diagnosed for every 100,000 U.S. adults under age 50, up from about 100 cases in 2010, according to the World Health Organization. 2023 survey in JAMA network open. While this may seem like a small increase overall, it's not a good sign, especially since the incidence rate among older Americans has decreased over the same period. “It's almost like the curve has reversed,” says Dr. Richard Barakat, director of cancer care at Northwell Health in New York.
The numbers are especially significant for certain types of cancer. According to a 2022 report, colorectal cancer is now diagnosed nearly twice as often among young people as it was in the 1990s. studyand the JAMA network open Researchers found that other types of gastrointestinal cancers were also on the rise among this population. Early-onset breast cancer is also becoming more common, with incidence rates among U.S. women increasing by nearly 4% each year from 2016 to 2019. 2024 survey. Even lung cancer, a disease typically associated with older smokers, is now a serious problem. The surprising extent to which it affects young womenDr. Matthew Triplett, a pulmonologist at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, says it's OK even if you've never smoked.
What's driving these trends? Triplett suspects there may be “new, very dangerous cancer risk factors that are causing a huge number of excess cases in young people.” He says he is. Because cancer is a complex disease influenced by a combination of genetics, lifestyle choices, and environmental exposures, it is unlikely that there is a single explanation for the data.
Rather, it could be a mixture of different things. eat a lot of processed foods, not getting enough exerciseand drink too much alcohol These are all risk factors for cancer, and all of these problems are pervasive in modern life. 2019 Survey Many of the increasing cancers among young people in the United States are linked to obesity, which currently affects about 1 million people, Jemal co-authored. 40% of US adults are under 40.
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Researchers are also studying The role of the gut microbiome in cancer development. Everything from what you eat to the medications you take can affect the health of your gut microbiome, Barakat says. Therefore, the modern diet, viz. Overreliance of the medical system on antibiotics— may have a trickle-down effect. Exposure to pollutants in the environment can also play a role, Triplett said.
Even major social changes can have an impact, says Jemal. for example, research result It has been found that women who give birth to their first child before the age of 35 tend to have a lower risk of breast cancer. In many countries, more women are now choosing to have children later in life or not at all, and that may be reflected in cancer rates, Djemal said.
Everyone can benefit from scientifically-backed health advice to lower their risk of cancer, such as eating a balanced diet, getting enough exercise, and avoiding smoking and heavy drinking. Masu. However, in the end, the odds of getting cancer vary from person to person. People with certain risk factors, such as genetic markers or a family history of cancer, should talk to their doctors about early screening and other preventative measures, Barakat said. People with a genetic predisposition to cancer are often diagnosed much earlier in life, so getting a head start is critical, he added.
Barakat says it's also important to know your body and seek medical attention if you think something is wrong. “If you look at some patients who were diagnosed with early-onset colorectal cancer, they had symptoms, but no one thought a 30-year-old would have colon cancer.” he says. The longer it takes to detect cancer, the more difficult it can be to treat. Therefore, it is important not to assume that just because you are young and seemingly healthy, everything is okay.
Of course, not all gastrointestinal upset and bloating are serious signs. Often these problems are just unpleasant. But “if you have any unusual symptoms that last for a long period of time, you should definitely get it checked out,” Barakat says. “And doctors need to be more aware and have a little more suspicion.”
