Alarming trend: More young people are getting cancer—and dying of it, study finds

More young people around the world are getting cancer—and dying of it—and this trend is expected to persist for the coming years. These were the key findings of a study, published September 5 in the journal BMJ Oncology, which analysed data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study of 29 cancers in 204 countries and regions. “Changes in diet, lifestyle and environment since the turn of the 20th century, resulting in increased rates of obesity, physical inactivity, westernized diets and environmental pollution, may have affected the incidence of early-onset cancer,” the China-based study authors state. “It is worth exploring whether early screening and prevention programmes for early-onset cancer should be expanded to include individuals aged 40 to 44 and 45 to 49.” The study found 3.26 million more new cases of cancers from 1990 to 2019 in people aged 15 to 49 years of age, representing an 80% increase over three decades. The highest rates of early-onset cancers in 2019 were in North America, Australasia, and Western Europe, the researchers said. Researchers also found one more million deaths from cancer among young people in 2019, or nearly 28% more than cancer-related deaths among this group in 1990. The steepest increases in deaths were found in people battling kidney or ovarian cancer. “Given that younger adults are typically classified as at low risk for the disease, this epidemiologic shift is cause for concern,” the researchers wrote. Read: 9 signs of inflammation in the body. Could an anti-inflammatory diet help? Looking forward, the study authors noted that “the projections indicated that the global number of incidence and deaths of early-onset cancer would increase by 31 per cent and 21 per cent in 2030,” with those in their 40s the most at risk. In addition to genetic factors, the primary risks for common cancers among people under the age of 50 include diets rich in red meat and salt, low in fruit and milk as well as alcohol consumption, tobacco us, physical inactivity, excess weight and high blood sugar, the researchers noted. Diet wasn’t the only prominent risk associated with cancer; the BMJ study’s researchers also identified alcohol and tobacco use as major factors contributing to early-onset cancer in 2019. The researchers did not state the frequency. For early-onset breast, tracheal, bronchus and lung cancers, tobacco smoking was the most important risk factor, followed by diets low in fruits. Alcohol use was also a leading risk factor for early-onset breast cancer from 1990 to 2019, the researchers found. Smoking and a diet high in sodium were the risk factors for early-onset stomach cancer. “A healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet, the restriction of tobacco and alcohol consumption and appropriate outdoor activity, could reduce the burden of early-onset cancer,” the authors wrote. Read: Mortality rose in 2021, led by cancer, heart disease, overdoses and COVID 19: StatCan Dr. Michael Cox, an associate professor of the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia, said the study’s findings could also be attributed in part to earlier detection. “What they’re really talking about here are these prevalent cancers, these cancers of older people and that we’re just detecting them earlier,” he said. “We’re better at diagnosing. We intervene really early.” The BMJ study researchrs acknowledged certain limitations in their work, such as the varying quality of cancer registry data across different countries. The BMJ study said cancer rates were climbing among young people in North America but did not narrow it down by countries in the region “What they’re really talking about here are these prevalent cancers, these cancers of older people and that we’re just detecting them earlier,” he said. “We’re better at diagnosing. We intervene really early.” The BMJ study researchrs acknowledged certain limitations in their work, such as the varying quality of cancer registry data across different countries. The BMJ study said cancer rates were climbing among young people in North America but did not narrow it down by countries in the region. It is not known exactly how cancer rates are impacting young Canadians, but a 2019 study published in JAMA found that although the incidence of colorectal cancer is decreasing among older adults, rates have increased in adults younger than 50 years. Read: Who in Canada is at highest risk of melanoma?

Alarming trend: More young people are getting cancer—and dying of it, study finds

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