A study published this week from researchers at the American Cancer Society inThe Lancet Public Healthadds to growing evidence that young adults are more likely to develop several types of cancer than older generations.
We’ve covered this phenomenon before. Research published last year inJAMA Network Openshowed that people in their 30s, and young women in particular, saw disproportionately high rates of cancer between 2010 and 2019. Breast, thyroid, and colon or rectal cancers were diagnosed the most in people under 50. Cancers of the appendix and the intrahepatic bile duct grew the fastest among this group.
How do the latest findings add to the conversation about rising cancer rates in young adults?
Different from other studies of early-onset cancer rates, this new paper tracked both case rates and mortality rates. It also encompasses more cancer types than many of the major studies published recently.
Here’s what you need to know.
At Least 17 Cancers Are Increasing in Younger Generations
17 of the 34 cancers included in the study became more common in younger adults compared to older generations:
Many of these cancers are considered rare, meaning there are fewer than 200,000 cases per year.
Is Diet to Blame for Rising Cancer Rates Among Younger People?
8 Cancers Have Been Increasing By Age Group Since 1920
In addition to the cancers identified in previous research,the authors found that each cohort had a higher risk of developing eight cancer types than the groups before them:
Rates for the other nine cancer types declined for the first few decades of the study, but have picked up in younger generations.
An Increase in Diagnoses Doesn’t Mean an Increase in Death Rates
While cancer rates have climbed over time, death rates don’t always follow suit. However, mortality risk increased alongside incidence rates for liver cancer in females, endometrial cancer, gallbladder cancer, testicular cancer, and colorectal cancer.
Why This Matters
It’s important to understand cancer trends in young people because they can provide insight about exposure to carcinogenic factors in early life and young adulthood, the authors write. Elevated cancer risk in young people “foreshadow future disease burden as these young cohorts carry their increased risk into older age, when cancers most frequently occur.”
MethodologyThe researchers analyzed health records data for more than 23 million patients ages 25 to 84 years old who were diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2019. They analyzed incidence rates for 34 cancer types and death rates for 25 cancer types.
Methodology
The researchers analyzed health records data for more than 23 million patients ages 25 to 84 years old who were diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2019. They analyzed incidence rates for 34 cancer types and death rates for 25 cancer types.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sung H, Jiang C, Bandi P, et al.Differences in cancer rates among adults born between 1920 and 1990 in the USA: an analysis of population-based cancer registry data.Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(8):e583-e593. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00156-7Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: common cancer sites.Sung H, Siegel R, Rosenberg PS, et al.Emerging cancer trends among young adults in the USA: analysis of a population-based cancer registry.Lancet Public Health. 2019;4(3):e137-e147. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30267-6Bell CF, Lei X, Haas A, et al.Risk of cancer after diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.JACC CardioOncol. 2023;5(4):431-440. doi:10.1016/j.jaccao.2023.01.010
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sung H, Jiang C, Bandi P, et al.Differences in cancer rates among adults born between 1920 and 1990 in the USA: an analysis of population-based cancer registry data.Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(8):e583-e593. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00156-7Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: common cancer sites.Sung H, Siegel R, Rosenberg PS, et al.Emerging cancer trends among young adults in the USA: analysis of a population-based cancer registry.Lancet Public Health. 2019;4(3):e137-e147. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30267-6Bell CF, Lei X, Haas A, et al.Risk of cancer after diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.JACC CardioOncol. 2023;5(4):431-440. doi:10.1016/j.jaccao.2023.01.010
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Sung H, Jiang C, Bandi P, et al.Differences in cancer rates among adults born between 1920 and 1990 in the USA: an analysis of population-based cancer registry data.Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(8):e583-e593. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00156-7Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: common cancer sites.Sung H, Siegel R, Rosenberg PS, et al.Emerging cancer trends among young adults in the USA: analysis of a population-based cancer registry.Lancet Public Health. 2019;4(3):e137-e147. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30267-6Bell CF, Lei X, Haas A, et al.Risk of cancer after diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.JACC CardioOncol. 2023;5(4):431-440. doi:10.1016/j.jaccao.2023.01.010
Sung H, Jiang C, Bandi P, et al.Differences in cancer rates among adults born between 1920 and 1990 in the USA: an analysis of population-based cancer registry data.Lancet Public Health. 2024;9(8):e583-e593. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00156-7
Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171
National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: common cancer sites.
Sung H, Siegel R, Rosenberg PS, et al.Emerging cancer trends among young adults in the USA: analysis of a population-based cancer registry.Lancet Public Health. 2019;4(3):e137-e147. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30267-6
Bell CF, Lei X, Haas A, et al.Risk of cancer after diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.JACC CardioOncol. 2023;5(4):431-440. doi:10.1016/j.jaccao.2023.01.010
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