Deepshikha Maan, Jadetimes Staff
D. Maan is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Innovation
Rising Cases of Early Onset Cancer Among Young Adults: A Global Concern
There has been a troubling rise in the number of cancer cases, particularly breast, colorectal, and other cancers, affecting individuals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. This emerging pattern has left researchers and oncologists searching for answers.
Over the past decade, colorectal cancer rates among 25 to 49 year olds have spiked in 24 countries, including the UK, the US, France, Australia, Canada, Norway, and Argentina. Initial findings, presented by an international team at the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) congress in Geneva in September 2024, reveal alarming statistics. Data surveyed from 50 countries by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the World Health Organization's (WHO's) International Agency for Research on Cancer indicate that in 14 countries, this increase is confined to younger adults, while cancer rates in older populations remain stable.
Surge in Cancer Incidence Among Young Adults
This growing trend is not isolated to colorectal cancer alone. Breast cancer has also seen a rise, with a recent ACS report showing that while breast cancer mortality has decreased by 10% in the last decade, the incidence rate is increasing by 1% per year overall, and 1.4% per year in women under 50. Studies suggest this upward trajectory started in the 1990s, with a 79% increase in early onset cancer cases between 1990 and 2019 and a 29% rise in cancer-related deaths in younger populations.
One of the largest studies published in The Lancet Public Health found that in the US, cancer incidence across 17 different types is steadily rising, particularly in Generation X and Millennials. The global medical community is increasingly concerned that if this trend continues, decades of public health progress in cancer prevention and treatment may be reversed.
Early Onset Cancer: Overlooked in Younger Patients?
One of the key issues highlighted by experts is the underestimation of cancer symptoms in younger adults. General practitioners may overlook cancer as a diagnosis in young patients who don't fit the typical cancer profile, potentially misattributing symptoms like fatigue, bloating, and digestive issues to more benign conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or stress. As a result, early diagnosis and treatment are delayed, worsening the prognosis for younger cancer patients.
Oncologists, such as Eileen O'Reilly from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, have noted an increase in younger patients presenting with cancers like pancreatic cancer, a disease typically seen in people in their 70s. She observes that more aggressive forms of the disease are appearing in individuals under 40, with severe consequences.
Hereditary Factors or Environmental Triggers?
Traditionally, early onset cancers have been associated with hereditary factors, such as BRCA gene mutations in breast cancer. However, experts are now noting that many of these young cancer patients do not have obvious genetic predispositions. This has led researchers to investigate other environmental or lifestyle factors that may contribute to this surge.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome, both of which have become more prevalent in younger populations, are considered significant contributors. A recent study found that gaining excess body weight between the ages of 18 and 40 increases the risk of up to 18 different types of cancer, including kidney, ovarian, pancreatic, and liver cancers. In fact, 10 out of 17 cancers increasing in prevalence among young people in the US are linked to obesity.
However, obesity alone doesn't explain the entire picture. Oncologists are also seeing fit and otherwise healthy young patients developing cancers, further complicating the search for underlying causes.
The Role of Lifestyle and Environmental Factors
Researchers are exploring additional factors, including changes in sleep patterns, increased antibiotic use, and exposure to microplastics and other environmental toxins. Studies have suggested that poor sleep quality and chronic disruption of the body’s circadian rhythm, often caused by shift work or excessive exposure to artificial light, may be linked to cancers like breast and colon cancer.
Other theories point to the potential role of microplastics, which have become more ubiquitous in the environment over recent decades. A recent paper by colorectal surgeon Frank Frizelle raises the possibility that microplastics could disrupt the gut’s protective mucus layer, increasing the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer.
Gut health has also come under scrutiny, particularly in relation to antibiotic use. The global per capita consumption of antibiotics has risen significantly, wiping out beneficial gut bacteria that play a key role in immune surveillance and cancer prevention. Some bacteria, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and certain strains of E. coli, have been found to drive cancer development, particularly when combined with Western diets high in ultra processed foods.
Urgent Call for Research and Action
While there are many theories, the exact cause of the rise in early onset cancers remains elusive. What is clear, however, is that this growing trend could have profound public health implications. Oncologists and researchers are calling for more urgent research to better understand the contributing factors and to develop strategies for prevention and early detection in younger populations.
As the rise in cancer cases among younger adults continues, it is becoming a global health priority to unravel the causes behind this alarming trend and to mitigate its impact before it worsens.
