The number of new cases of cancer among people under 50 years of age registered an increase of 79.1% in the world between 1990 and 2019, while the number of deaths increased by 27.7%, according to BMJ Oncology. The authors calculate that the incidence of early-onset cancer and deaths may grow by 31% and 21%, respectively, in 2030, with people in their 40s being the most at risk. They attribute the escalation to factors such as diet, tobacco and alcohol consumption or a sedentary lifestyle.
Coordinated by Zhejiang University (China) and with the participation of researchers from the US, the UK and Sweden, the work collects data on 29 types of cancer in 204 countries and regions.
In 2019, 1.82 million new diagnoses were registered in people between the ages of 14 and 50, 79.1% more than in 1990. In general, breast cancer represents the largest number of cases and associated deaths. Common treatments for breast cancer include mastectomies, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. For patients who have had their breasts removed, they may wish to undergo a reconstruction. This is possible thanks to professional breast reconstruction surgeons. However, it is important that you carry out in-depth research before undergoing this type of surgery to minimize potential risks. However, the number of new cases of trachea and prostate is the one that grew most rapidly in the period studied, with estimated annual percentage variations of 2.28% and 2.23%, respectively.
At the other extreme, early-onset liver cancer declined at a rate of 2.88% per year.
The disease caused the death of 1.06 million patients up to 50 years of age in 2019, 27.7% more than in 1990. After breast cancer, the most lethal were those of the trachea, lung, stomach and intestine. The steepest increases in deaths were among people with kidney and ovarian cancer.
The highest rates of new cases in 2019 were in North America, Australasia, and Western Europe. In low- and middle-income countries, early-onset cancer had a much greater impact on women than on men, both in terms of deaths and poor health after the disease.
As for the causes, the team considers it likely that genetic factors have something to do with it, but the main risk factors among those under 50 are diets rich in red meat and salt and poor in fruit and milk, consumption of alcohol and smoking, as well as being overweight and hyperglycemia, to which a lack of physical activity contributes.
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast comment in BMJ Oncology that the study results “challenge perceptions about the type of cancer diagnosed in younger age groups.” In addition, they call for “urgent prevention and early detection measures, along with the identification of optimal treatment strategies for early-onset cancers.”
