Cancer gets younger every year

Over the past three decades, cancer cases among adults under the age of 50 have increased by 79% and cancer deaths in this age group by 27%. According to the international team of scientists whose study cites such data, unhealthy diets, alcohol and tobacco use, physical inactivity and obesity are among the causes of this phenomenon.

In 1990, 1.82 million cases of cancer were diagnosed worldwide in adults under the age of 50, that is, those who, according to the World Health Organization classification, belong to the category of young and middle-aged people. In 2019, there were already 3.26 million cases of this age. Thus, over 30 years, the increase was almost 80%. In addition, 1.06 million people of the same age group died of cancer in 2019, an increase of 27% compared to 1990.

Such figures are provided in their study by an international team of scientists who studied data on new cases of cancer, deaths, health consequences and associated risk factors for people aged 14 to 49 years. A study that was published in a medical journal BMJ Oncology, takes into account 29 types of cancer. This is the first study of this magnitude, which covers 204 countries of the world. Previous studies have explored regional and national characteristics of the upward trend in the incidence of younger people.

According to the authors of the study, the largest number of cases and deaths occur in breast cancer: for every 100,000 of the global population, these are 13.7 and 3.5 cases, respectively. The largest increase in the number of diseases over the specified period of 30 years was observed in cancer of the trachea and prostate. On average, the number grew by 2.28% and 2.23%, respectively, per year. These same types of cancer are the second leading cause of death after breast cancer. The incidence of lung, stomach and colorectal cancer is also high. At the same time, the incidence of liver cancer fell by 2.8% every year. Deaths from kidney and ovarian cancer have risen the most in 30 years.

Most often, cases of cancer during this period were detected in residents of North America, Oceania and Western Europe. This trend is most pronounced, according to scientists, in countries with low and middle incomes, and in such countries women are more susceptible to the disease than men. And most often the inhabitants of Oceania, Eastern Europe and Central Asia died of cancer.

Analyzing the trends identified over a 30-year period, the authors of the study predict that by 2030 the number of new cases of cancer under the age of 50 years and deaths from it will increase by another 31% and 21%, respectively.

In the category of greatest risk, scientists warn, are people aged 40 to 49 years.

The authors of the study do not yet undertake to draw final conclusions about the reasons for the trend of “rejuvenation” of cancer – research in this regard is still ongoing. However, the data already collected suggest that, along with hereditary factors, the growth in the number of diseases is affected, in particular, by malnutrition, that is, an excess of red meat and salt with a lack of fruits and dairy products. Other weighty factors include smoking and drinking, being overweight, high blood sugar, lack of movement and physical activity, etc.

Meanwhile, scientists note that cancer is still a disease mainly of people over the age of 50 years. Commenting on the above data, Dr Clare Knight, spokesperson for Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent cancer research organization, said that, as alarming as the results of this study are, cancer remains “a predominantly disease of the elderly.” “It is not completely clear what is behind the increase in the incidence at a younger age, but exposure to risk factors in childhood and adolescence, and improved ability to detect cancer, and heredity can play a role,” the expert noted, calling for further research. However, she reminds that “if people are worried about the possibility of getting sick, there are many ways to reduce this risk, such as quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, moving more and not overusing sunburn.”

Alena Miklashevskaya