Researchers report dramatic increase in early-onset cancers – Harvard Gazette

a study A study by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that the incidence of early-onset cancers such as breast, colon, esophageal, kidney, liver, and pancreatic cancers has increased dramatically around the world. It was found that the increase started around 1990. As more and more young people are being diagnosed with cancer, scientists are conducting extensive analyzes of data available in the literature and online, including information about childhood exposures that may have contributed to this trend. The results are published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

“From our data, we observed what we call the birth cohort effect. It shows that there is an increased risk of developing cancer later in life because of the cause.” Shuji OginoHe is a professor at the Harvard Chan School and Harvard Medical School, and a medical scientist in the Department of Pathology at Brigham University. “We found that this risk increased with each generation. For example, a person born in 1960 had a higher risk of cancer before he turned 50 than a person born in 1950. high, and we predict that this risk level will continue to rise with each passing generation.”

Ogino collaborated with the lead author Tomotaka Ugai Researchers analyzed global data from 2000 to 2012 on 14 types of cancer that showed an increase in incidence among adults under the age of 50. The team then searched for available studies that looked at trends in possible risk factors, including early exposure in the general population. Finally, the investigators searched the literature describing clinical and biological tumor characteristics of early-onset cancers compared with cancers diagnosed after age 50.

In a large-scale review, the team found that the early life ‘exposome’, which includes an individual’s diet, lifestyle, weight, environmental exposures and microbiome, has changed significantly over the past few decades. The team therefore hypothesizes that factors such as Western diet and lifestyle may contribute to the prevalence of early-onset cancer. He acknowledged that the increased incidence was due in part to early detection through cancer screening programs. They were unable to accurately measure the proportion of this increased prevalence attributable solely to screening and early detection. said it was unlikely that increased screening was the only cause.

Possible risk factors for early-onset cancer include alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, smoking, obesity, and consumption of highly processed foods. Surprisingly, researchers found that while adults’ sleep duration hasn’t changed dramatically over decades, children today sleep far less than they did decades ago. Risk factors such as highly processed foods, sugary beverages, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyles and alcohol consumption have all increased significantly since the 1950s, and researchers have I’m assuming it’s associated with biome changes.

“Of the 14 rising cancers we studied, eight were related to the digestive system. The food we eat feeds the microbes in our gut,” Ukai said. Told. “Diet directly influences the composition of the microbiome, and ultimately these changes may influence disease risk and outcome.”

One of the limitations of this study is that the researchers did not have a sufficient amount of data to identify trends in cancer incidence over decades in low- and middle-income countries. Ogino and Ukai hope to continue this research, collect more data, and collaborate with international research institutes to better monitor global trends. They also explained the importance of conducting longitudinal cohort studies with parental consent to include infants who may be followed for decades.

“Without such research, it’s difficult to pinpoint what cancer patients did decades ago or as children,” Ukai said. “Because of this challenge, we aim to conduct more longitudinal cohort studies in the future, where the same cohort of participants will be followed throughout life, potentially using electronic medical records and set time points. collect health data from biosamples in the field, which is not only cost-effective considering the many cancer types that need to be studied, but also provides more accurate insight into cancer risk for future generations. I believe you will get it.”

Ogino’s research was supported in part by a National Institutes of Health grant and Cancer Research UK’s Cancer Grand Challenge Award. Cormorant fishing research is supported by grants from the Cancer Prevention Foundation, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Mishima Shipping Memorial Foundation.