According to recent reviews, early-onset cancer, often defined as cancer diagnosed in adults under the age of 50, is a new pandemic.
While the incidence of early onset is rising, colorectal cancer (CRC) is well documented problem, this trend seems to extend well beyond the CRC. The authors tracked patterns of early-onset cancer diagnosis for 14 types of cancer, including breast, prostate and thyroid cancer, over the past 30 years and found an increase in many countries.
Of the 14 cancers studied, 8 are related to the digestive system, highlighting the potential role that diet and oral and gut microbiomes may play in cancer risk. the authors pointed out.
And many of the factors that appear to affect cancer risk are modifiable, including diet, exercise, sleep, and vaccination against HPV and other cancer-causing organisms.
“[Our] The immediate goal is to raise awareness and reduce exposure to the early-onset cancer epidemic. [these] risk factors,” said Tomotaka Ukai, M.D., Ph.D., and Shuji Ogino, M.D., Ph.D. Medscape medical news.
of paper was published earlier this month in Nature Review Clinical Oncology.
Although increased cancer screening has contributed to the early detection of cancers, the incidence of some early-onset cancers also appears to be genuinely increasing.
In the current review, Ugai, Ogino, and colleagues reviewed the literature and mapped trends in the incidence of 14 types of cancer among adults aged 20 to 49 years in 44 countries between 2002 and 2012. Did.
Since the 1990s, the breast, colorectal, endometrium, esophagus, extrahepatic bile duct, gallbladder, head/neck, kidney, liver, bone marrow, pancreas, prostate, stomach, and thyroid glands have increased worldwide. increase. For example, if we look at the United States, Average annual rate of change for kidney cancer 3.6% for women and 4.1% for men. multiple myeloma From 2002 to 2012, it was 2% for women and 3% for men.
This overall trend may reflect increased exposure to risk factors during adolescence and young adulthood, but “the specific effects of individual exposures remain largely unknown,” the authors said. admits.
Since the mid-20th century, eating, sleeping, smoking, obesity, type 2 diabetesand environmental exposures—all of which can affect the gut microbiome or interact with genes to increase the incidence of early-onset cancer, the authors explained. For example, obesity, smoking, and alcohol are all established risk factors. pancreatic cancer It is also associated with the risk of early-onset disease.
“Cancer is a multifactorial disease, and we recognize the importance of genetics as risk factors and screening for early detection, but this paper is a study of modifications that may delay the development of early-onset cancers. reveals the importance of possible lifestyle habits.” Oncologist Marleen Meyers, MD, director of the Survivorship Program at NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York City, was not involved in this review. said: Medscape medical news.
Modifiable factors such as diet and exercise may reduce the burden of these cancers, but such changes are often difficult to implement, Meyers added. , more research is needed to understand the effects of certain factors, such as obesity, physical activity, and reproductive delay, on cancer risk, but “at this time, there is no good reason to address these risk factors.” There are individual and public health benefits,” Meyers said.
Support for this research was provided in part by the National Institutes of Health, Cancer Research UK, Prevent Cancer Foundation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Mishima Shipping Memorial Foundation. Ukai, Ogino and Myers have not disclosed any related financial relationships.
Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2022; 19:656-673. full text
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