A global study examining cancer diagnoses in under-50s found that early-life cancers increased by 79.1 percent between 1990 and 2019.
The team, which included experts from around the world, used data from the Global Burden of Disease dataset from 204 countries for their research. They found that early-onset cancer deaths increased by 27.7 percent over the period studied. Breast cancer was found to be the type of early-onset cancer with the highest morbidity, with a significant increase seen in parts of Asia: from 4.9 to 13.1 per 100,000 people in 1990, to 8.7 per 100,000 people in 2019. It rose to 15.6. The factors driving this increase are still unclear, the team says, estimating that “the prevalence of a Westernized lifestyle” and better cancer screening play a role: “It is also noteworthy that the incidence of early-onset breast cancer is increasing in some countries without routine screening; this suggests that reproductive factors may play a role.” Changes in physical indicators (younger age at menarche, use of oral contraceptives, nulliparity, first birth at an older age, and never breastfeeding), physical indicators (higher BMI), and behavioral factors (physical inactivity and alcohol consumption) have contributed to the increase in early-onset breast cancer cases in recent years. suggests it could be.”
Although increases in cancer cases may seem alarming, there are many factors at play.
Montserrat García-Closas, Professor of Epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, who was not involved in the research, points out that these data are pure numbers and are not adjusted for demographic changes such as population or average age increases. Another scientist who was not involved in the research, Dorothy Bennett, Professor of Cell Biology at St George’s, University of London, also emphasizes that the increase in deaths in this age group is less than the increase in diagnoses. In other words, while the number of cancer cases is increasing, the associated mortality rate is decreasing.
Researchers think that the biggest factor behind the increase in cancer numbers under the age of 50 is lifestyle changes. “Dietary risk factors, alcohol use and tobacco consumption, were the leading risk factors for early-onset cancers in 2019,” the team writes in its conclusion. “A healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, limiting tobacco and alcohol consumption, and appropriate outdoor activity Promotion may reduce the burden of early-onset cancer. It is worth investigating whether early screening and prevention programs for early-onset cancer are necessary. It has been expanded to include individuals aged 40-44 and 45-49, but further systematic studies and randomized trials are needed to reach a definitive conclusion .”
The study was published in BMJ Oncology…
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