Shocking 80% Increase in Cancer Among Young People Globally: Finally Some Hard Answers On What’s Behind The Wave

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The Importance of Cancer Screenings

According to a recent research study, published in the open access journal BMJ Oncology, global cancer cases among younger generations have increased by nearly 80 percent between the years of 1990 and 2019. Included among the diagnoses, some of the cancers with highest incidence rates include stomach, colon, breast, and lung. And the fastest increasing trends were found in throat and prostate cancers.
The main underlying risk factors of these early-onset cancers were found to be due to unhealthy lifestyles.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women at average breast cancer risk begin screening at age 40. Women with the BRCA gene mutation, who have a family history of cancer, or have dense breasts, are at higher risk and should talk with their doctor about when to screen may be younger than 40.
According to Dr. Anna Beavis, women should start scheduling their cervical cancer screenings starting at age 21 and continue until age 65. However, even if you’re 65 years or older, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily off the hook. In order to skip these screenings, you’ll need to have had regular pap smears for the past 10 years in order to get the all clear.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend that adults age 45 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.

Research findings of a mysterious cancer boom has finally offered some insight into why more and more young people, under the age of 50, are getting sick—which further emphasizes the importance of cancer screenings.

According to a recent study, published in the open access journal BMJ Oncology, global cancer cases among younger generations have increased by nearly 80 percent between the years of 1990 and 2019. Included among the diagnoses, some of the cancers with highest incidence rates include stomach, colon, breast, and lung. And the fastest increasing trends were found in throat and prostate cancers.

The study aimed to look into “the global burden of early-onset cancer based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 study for 29 cancers worldwide.”

Study authors concluded, “Results Global incidence of early-onset cancer increased by 79.1% and the number of early-onset cancer deaths increased by 27.7% between 1990 and 2019. Early-onset breast, tracheal, bronchus and lung, stomach and colorectal cancers showed the highest mortality and DALYs in 2019.

“Globally, the incidence rates of early-onset nasopharyngeal and prostate cancer showed the fastest increasing trend, whereas early-onset liver cancer showed the sharpest decrease. Early-onset colorectal cancers had high DALYs within the top five ranking for both men and women.”

The main underlying risk factors of these early-onset cancers were found to be due to unhealthy lifestyles.

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“Furthermore, changes in diet, lifestyle and environment since the turn of the 20th century, resulting in increased rates of obesity, physical inactivity, westernized diets and environmental pollution, may have affected the incidence of early-onset cancer,” the authors state.

“Additionally, alcohol, smoking and detrimental pregnancy exposures may have also affected the incidence of early-onset cancer.”

The different types of cancer which saw a significant increase in diagnoses among young people include breast, tracheal, bronchus, lung, stomach, and colorectal cancers which had the highest number of mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALY).

According to the World Health Organization, DALY “represents the loss of the equivalent of one year of full health.”

Nasopharyngeal (throat/windpipe) and prostate cancer revealed the “fastest increasing trend” meanwhile the number of liver cancer diagnoses among young people saw the “sharpest decrease.”

Additionally, people ranging in age from 40 to 49 were specifically affected by early-onset cancer.

The study authors also note, “Based on the observed trends for the past three decades, the researchers estimate that the global number of new early onset cancer cases and associated deaths will rise by a further 31% and 21%, respectively, in 2030, with those in their 40s the most at risk.

“Genetic factors are likely to have a role, say the researchers. But diets high in red meat and salt, and low in fruit and milk; alcohol consumption; and tobacco use are the main risk factors underlying the most common cancers among the under 50s, with physical inactivity, excess weight, and high blood sugar contributory factors, the data indicate.”

Is This Concerning Trend Reversible?

“Research is needed at every level of cancer science: basic, translational, clinical, population, and implementation science, in order to effect behavioral and policy changes that might mitigate the complex and converging risk factors that are driving this disturbing trend,” Dr. Steve Patierno, a Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.

“The steady rise in young-onset cancer among multiple tumor types is highly concerning and will significantly impact people and society in significant ways if not reversed,” Dr. Kimmie Ng, Associate Chief, Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, also told SurvivorNet.

“Research into the underlying cause of this rising trend is of utmost importance for prevention, early detection, and treatment.”

WATCH: Screening for breast cancer.

Screenings and early detection, researchers note, are contributing factors to the increase in cancer rates among younger people. In recent years, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that the colorectal cancer screening age be lowered to 45; the previous recommended age was 50.

The USPSTF also lowered the recommended age to begin breast cancer screening to 40. The previous guidance issued in 2016 was age 50.

WATCH: Colon cancer screening.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) suggests women should begin annual mammogram screenings for breast cancer at age 45 if they are at average risk for breast cancer.

The ACS also advises:

Women aged 40-44 have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year
Women aged 55 and older can switch to a mammogram every other year
Women aged 55 and older could also choose to continue yearly mammograms

Although research suggests more young people are screening which can help catch cancer development in earlier stages, there exists the risk of overdiagnosis.

Younger women, for example, have been found to have more false positive events and biopsies leading to anxiety, when compared to older women.

Overall, early screenings may take a toll on the emotional, physical, psychological, and financial aspects of a person but Dr. Paul Doria-Rose, Ph.D., chief of NCI’s Healthcare Assessment Research Branch, tells the National Cancer Institute that “more research is needed to learn how frequently some screening harms happen.”

WATCH: Colon Cancer Screening Options And Genetics Myth Busting

It’s Never Too Late to Stop Smoking

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. The tobacco in cigarettes is a carcinogen that causes mutations in lung cells and enables the growth of cancer. In fact, about 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, according to the American Cancer Society.

It’s also important to know that several thousand other lung cancer deaths are caused by exposure to secondhand smoke. The good news is that if you quit smoking, your risk for lung cancer decreases.

Take it from a guy who looks at diseased lungs every day: ‘Stop smoking’

“If you’re smoking, don’t smoke,” says Dr. Joseph Friedberg, Head of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “You never return down all the way to the [level of] the person who never smoked as far as your risk of lung cancer goes, but it goes down with time.”

“I think it behooves us all to try and increase the uptake of CT screening in particular, given that it’s been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality,” Dr. Forde adds.

The Importance of Cancer Screenings & Understanding Guidelines

It’s important that men and women of all ages know the facts around cancer screenings. For example, when it comes to scheduling a screening, older women sometimes may have different options depending on guidelines.

“A woman doesn’t need to come in for a pap smear every year, but can come in every three to five years, depending on her age,” Dr. Anna Beavis, a gynecological oncologist at John Hopkins Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet, regarding cervical cancer.

“I still recommend that every woman go to their [gynecologist] every year for an exam, even if a pap smear isn’t being done.””

According to Dr. Beavis, women should start scheduling their cervical cancer screenings starting at age 21 and continue until age 65. However, even if you’re 65 years or older, that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily off the hook. In order to skip these screenings, you’ll need to have had regular pap smears for the past 10 years in order to get the all clear. These screenings are extremely important, especially since cervical cancer doesn’t present symptoms until it has advanced. By following guidelines and regularly having pap smears, your doctor can catch the disease before it has progressed.

Ex-NYPD cop and cervical cancer survivor, Patti Murillo Casa, advocates for other women to be tested

Dr. Beavis’ recommendation echoes that of the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines, which state women starting at age 21 to age 29 should have a pap smear every three years. For women 30-years-old to age 65, guidelines recommend women should get a pap smear along with an HPV test (or an HPV test alone) every five years. The guidelines also specify which women qualify for three year screenings while others qualify for five. To determine this, it’s important to talk to your doctor as to whether you are “high-risk” of the disease or not.

Alcohol and Cancer Risk

According to the National Cancer Institute, there is a clear link between consuming alcohol, especially drinking it regularly over time, and an increased risk of several cancers. Those cancers include head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast and colorectal.

A study published in JAMA Network Open about two years ago found that people with “heavy drinking levels had an associated higher risk” of developing alcohol-related cancers “than those who did not drink.” The study included 4.5 million participants who self-reported their drinking habits. The results concluded people who reduced their alcohol consumption lowered their risk.

Conversely, “Those with moderate or heavy drinking levels who quit drinking had a higher all cancer incidence than those who sustained their levels, but when quitting was sustained, this increase in risk disappeared.”

Additionally, the American Cancer Society warns that alcohol consumption can increase your risk for many different types of cancer. Considering cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box and esophagus, for example, alcohol “clearly” increases risk. That being said, the ACS notes that drinking and smoking together puts you at a much higher risk for these cancers than drinking or smoking alone.

Alcohol Can Increase the Risk of Developing Breast Cancer

“This might be because alcohol can help harmful chemicals in tobacco get inside the cells that line the mouth, throat, and esophagus,” the ACS website states. “Alcohol may also limit how these cells can repair damage to their DNA caused by the chemicals in tobacco.”

When it comes to liver cancer, “long-term alcohol use has been linked to an increased risk.” When you regularly drink a lot of alcohol, liver damage can occur and lead to inflammation and scarring a possible explanation for the increased risk.

We also know there’s a clear link between breast cancer and alcohol consumption. In November 2017, the American Society of Clinical Oncology published a statement citing evidence that links alcohol to multiple cancers and calling for reduced alcohol consumption as a way to cut people’s cancer risk. But many women said they had been drinking more during the pandemic, and 70 percent weren’t aware of the resulting increased cancer risk, according to a SurvivorNet survey in February 2021.

The ACS also reports that alcohol use has been linked with a higher risk of cancers of the colon and rectum with stronger evidence for this in men than in women, though studies have found the link in both sexes.

Does Alcohol Impact the Risks for Colon and Other Cancers?

Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal cancer surgeon at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, also previously spoke with SurvivorNet, revealing she believes alcohol increases risk for certain cancers but acknowledged that the data was mixed, especially for colon cancer.

“I do think that high levels of alcohol certainly predispose to a certain number of cancers, including pancreatic and liver cancer, and may predispose to colon cancer,” she said.

“But there’s also some data that shows that low levels of alcohol, or a glass of wine here and there, may actually lower your risk of colon cancer.”