Cancers surge among young people: Here are some reasons

Research has shown that growing numbers of people are getting cancer in early adulthood and middle age with sharp rises seen especially in gastrointestinal cancers.

These gastrointestinal cancers include those of the colon, stomach and pancreas, whereas, there is a surge in breast and uterine cancers as well, reported Columbia Magazine.

A recent study has found that cases of gastrointestinal cancers in Americans under the age of fifty rose by 15% between 2010 and 2019, while breast cancer diagnoses increased by 8% in women under fifty.

According to experts, the patterns are perplexing considering that cancer rates among older adults have declined in recent years.

Colon and rectal surgeon Beatrice Dionigi was in medical school fifteen years ago, when she was taught that colon cancer, which is long known as a “silent killer” for its ability to advance undetected, was a disease of old age, mainly striking people in their fifties and beyond.

However, as she embarked on her career as a surgeon, she has found herself operating on patients far younger than she expected.

“I’m now routinely seeing people in their thirties and forties, many of whom have advanced disease,” says Dionigi, who is an associate professor of surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Centre (CUIMC).

She added: “Every year, the patients are younger and younger.”

In addition to Dionigi, cancer epidemiologist at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health Rebecca Kehm said: “Something different is clearly happening, making young people vulnerable in ways that past generations weren’t.”

On how the surge is being driven, experts have several theories.

Some assert that rising obesity rates among young people are to blame, as excess fat tissue can fuel chronic inflammation and tumour growth.

Moreover, large population studies have generally supported this idea, linking obesity to increased risks for several cancers, including those of the breast and colon.

However, other scientists argue that obesity may be a proxy for underlying risk factors, such as poor diets and sedentary lifestyles.