Some early-onset cancers are on the rise. why?

Some early-onset cancers – cancers that occur in people under the age of 50 – are on the rise in the United States.

According to a new analysis, this overall increase is due to an increase in 14 types of cancers among young people. The biggest increase occurs in the diagnosis of breast, colorectal, kidney and uterine cancer.

Although the overall incidence of early-onset cancer is still low, these small increases can increase over time.

You might like it

Miranda Fiddler Banaudia, a cancer epidemiologist at the Alberta Department of Health and the University of Calgary, told Live Science that a few percent increase per year was “not a major change in the number of diagnoses.” “But when it’s happening over two or three decades, it really leads to a meaningful increase in that period.”

The reasons behind these increases are complex and diverse, with many likely inherent to each type of cancer, experts say.

To elicit trends in early-onset cancer diagnosis and the myriad reasons behind it, epidemiologist Meredith Shields and colleagues at the National Cancer Institute compiled data on cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2019 in a study diagnosed at a rate of 30 years over 30 years over 30 years on May 8, published in the Journal Cancer Discovery. 49.

The incidence of breast and uterine cancer increased in all early-onset age groups, but the incidence of colorectal and certain kidney cancers increased between the ages of 30-39 and 40-49, the team found. Over 80% of the additional cancers that occurred in 2019 compared to 2010 were one of these four types. Other diagnoses increased in at least one early-onset cohort included melanoma, cervical cancer, and gastric cancer, but the incidence of these cancers remained low overall.

Changes in lifestyle

Many factors may contribute to these observed increases. Research shows that obesity is a risk factor for colorectal, kidney and uterine cancer, all of which are increasing in young people. Globally, the proportion of adults who are overweight or obese has increased significantly since 1990. Most studies linking cancer to obesity have been conducted in older people, but researchers write that a high rate of obesity among young people could increase the rate of early-onset cancer. A 2024 study suggests that over half of uterine cancer diagnosed in 2019 may be associated with obesity.

Long-standing changes in reproductive patterns may also contribute to an increase in the incidence of early-onset breast cancer, Fiddler Baunaud said. Girls are early, and women have fewer children than they had generations ago, and they have them later in life. Researchers say that being young at first due to menstruation, giving birth several times and giving birth for the first time in their life is at a higher risk of developing certain types of early-onset breast cancer. Other studies suggest that the use of oral contraceptives (contraceptives) can also slightly increase the risk of early-onset breast cancer, but they may also be protected from ovarian and endometrial cancers.

Better detection

Previous detection of cancer in people with genetic risk factors could also play a role. For example, people with a specific BRCA gene mutant are at higher risk for breast, ovarian, or prostate cancer, while people with Lynch syndrome are at higher risk for countless cancers, including colon, stomach, and brain cancer.

New screening guidelines recommend that people with these genes begin screening for cancer earlier than those at average risk for the disease. A slight increase in the number of early-onset cancers detected in these new recommendations can cause an increase in diagnosis.

Screening for other unrelated issues can also help identify specific cancers early. For example, changes in imaging procedures for MRI and CT scans mean that during other examinations, medical professionals are capturing more cases of renal cell carcinoma, a type of kidney cancer. The accidental detection has increased the diagnosis of kidney cancer in almost all age groups, the researchers write.

Environmental Exposure

Prenatal or early exposure of people to certain compounds may also fuel certain early-onset cancers. In an April journal in Nature, researchers reported that pediatric exposure to a chemical called colibactin produced by certain E. coli strains in the colon caused DNA mutations that are more frequently observed in early-onset colorectal cancer.

It is not an easy feat to show that exposure directly causes certain types of early-onset cancer, or even identify which types of exposures may pose a risk. “I think there’s a need for large-scale research that follows individuals in their life courses to help identify risk factors for early onset cancer, including early age,” Shields told Live Science in an email.

However, even with these types of extended studies, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of early-onset cancer. “Cancer problems at younger ages are still relatively rare while it is increasing [compared] For these older adults, Fiddler Baunaud said.

While it is impossible to rule out the individual risk of developing cancer, there are several that reduce the overall risk at the population level. For example, wearing sunscreen and getting vaccinated from human papillomavirus (HPV) can help protect you from certain cancers, Fiddler Benaudia said. Similarly, limiting alcohol and smoking can reduce the chances of developing cancer at any point in your life, not before you are 50 years old.