Young Adult Cancer Rates: Is There a Global Rise?

For some time now, there has been a concern among scientists and health professionals around the world: is cancer increasingly affecting young adults (between the ages of 20 and 49), displacing the traditional trend in which the disease predominated among those over 50? Some experts have even dared to talk about a possible “epidemic” of cancer in young people. This trend would raise very important questions: for example, what is changing in our lifestyles, diet or environment that could be “advancing” the appearance of cancer?

But first, is there really an epidemic of cancer in young people? An international study led by researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London asked this question in an analysis published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The study systematically compared the direction and magnitude of recent trends in cancer incidence in younger (20-49 years) and older (50-69 years) adults in 42 countriesover a period of 15 years (2003-2017). They also analyzed 13 types of cancer that, according to previous studies, were increasing in young adults.

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The results, to summarize it in one line, They contradict the supposed epidemic and the idea that cancer affects young adults more. Scientists showed increased rates of thyroid, breast, kidney, endometrial cancer and leukemia in young adults. However, trends in older adults aged 50 years and older were not different from those younger than 50 years for these five cancer types. In reality, cancer cases are increasing in both younger and older adults.

“Our findings suggest that what triggers the rise in these cancers is more likely to be common across all age groups, rather than being specific to cancers in those under 50, as there were similar increases in younger and older adults,” said study leader Amy Berrington, team leader for Clinical Cancer Epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research, London.

In fact, for cancers of the liver, mouth, esophagus and stomach, incidence rates even decreased in younger adults in more than half of the countries studied, contrary to previous reports indicating that these cancers were also part of the global epidemic of early-onset cancer. In the case of the other three types of cancer that had previously been identified as part of that epidemic (gallbladder, pancreas and prostate) no clear patterns of widespread increases were found. (You can see: Alert in Colombia about counterfeit condoms)

In the study, bowel cancer is the only one found to be increasing in many countries among younger adults faster than among older adults. Incidence rates behaved like this in 30% of the countries studied.

It is possible, the researchers believe, that this difference is due to bowel cancer screening tests that are routinely offered to older adults. These tests, they explain, not only help detect cancer in early stages, but also help prevent it by removing premalignant lesions. According to researchers, this could be the real reason why cases of bowel cancer seem to be increasing more rapidly in young adults: we are getting better at preventing its development in older adults.

“These findings offer a clearer picture of what is happening and challenge the idea that rising cancer rates are only affecting younger people. They highlight the importance of including all adults, not just young people, when developing new guidelines and research strategies to tackle rising cancer incidence,” added Kristian Helin, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, London. (See: Andrés Pabón would be the new president of Fiduprevisora)

The risk of believing in a supposed “epidemic” of cancer in young people is that resources allocated to research and intervention may be allocated inappropriately, if attention is focused exclusively on this age group. The truth, the researchers conclude, is that statistics continue to show that cancer continues to be a disease that mainly affects older people.

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