Global study finds alarming rise of 6 types of cancer in young adults
A global study has found six types of cancer are on the rise in young people aged between 20 and 49 years old.
Some 20 million people were diagnosed with some form of the disease worldwide in 2022, according to the World Health Organization.
That figure is predicted to climb to more than 35 million by 2050, an increase of 77 percent.
Researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research and Imperial College London studied the rates of 13 different cancers that were reported to be rising in young people.
Advert
They found that one particular cancer is disproportionately affecting young people, aged 20 to 49, compared to those aged 50 and older.
Scientists also identified six types of cancer on the rise across 75 percent of the 42 countries studied.
Data from nations across Asia, Europe, North and South America, Africa and Australasia were analyzed, dating from 2003 to 2017.
Leukemia, breast, endometrial, prostate, colorectal and kidney cancer were among the diseases dissected.
Rates of thyroid, stomach, liver, gallbladder, oral, pancreatic, and esophageal cancer were also investigated.
Scientists found that thyroid cancer saw the largest increase - a 3.6 percent median annual rise - in 20 to 49 year olds across 75 percent of the countries studied.
Thyroid cancer affects the butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck that produces body-regulating hormones, as per Mayo Clinic.
As it progresses, symptoms might include a swelling in the neck, difficulty swallowing and changes to the voice.
Meanwhile, kidney cancer saw the second-highest increase in young people, at 2.2 percent.
This was followed by endometrial cancer (1.7 percent), colorectal cancer (1.5 percent), breast cancer (0.9 percent) and leukemia (0.8 percent).
The study found that five of these six cancers also rose among older adults, with similar or slightly lower growth rates.
But it was colorectal cancer that stood out as the only form of the cancers studied increasing exclusively in young adults.
In almost 70 percent of countries, rates increased more sharply in young adults.
Most cases of colorectal cancer start as a growth on the inner lining of the colon or rectum, the American Cancer Society explains.
Symptoms might include changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, stomach pain and unexplained weight loss.
The types of cancer increasing in both younger and older adults were all related to obesity, with endometrial and kidney cancer most strongly linked to being overweight.
Meanwhile, cases of liver, oral and stomach cancers in young adults have declined across 50 percent of the countries studied.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Topics: Cancer, Health, World News, Science
Ellie Kemp