Cancer is on the Rise in Young Adults, Here’s What We Know

Over the course of 20 years, from 1999 to 2019, the number of people under the age of 50 diagnosed with cancer has increased by 15%. And the National Cancer Institute is trying to figure out why. 

And of those women, the most common cancers were rectum, thyroid, colon, and breast. Though they also noted that the fastest-growing cancers among the younger generation are those of the appendix and intrahepatic bile duct. 

And according to their research, this kind of cancer of the digestive tract has increased by 15% over the course of just 10 years. 

In fact, a person born in 1950 is four times less likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer than a person born in 1990.

And the majority of scientists and physicians agree that the most likely cause of the significant increase in digestive and colorectal cancers among Americans between the ages of 15 and 50 is simply the change in lifestyle.

And researchers at the International Agency for Research on Cancer found that an “increased consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to an elevated risk of multimorbidity involving cancer and cardiometabolic diseases.”

America’s obesity rate is rising constantly. Today, 42.4% of Americans are obese, and 9.2% have severe obesity. And according to a paper published in Lancet Public Health, researchers found that, “The risk of developing an obesity-related cancer seems to be increasing in a stepwise manner in successively younger birth cohorts.” In other words, as the obesity rate rises in young Americans, so do cancer diagnoses. 

Gastrointestinal oncologist and founder of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center, Dr. Kimmie Ng, explained, “I can tell you just from seeing so many young patients in my clinic that many of them—most of them actually—are not obese. They’re healthy. They’re often marathon runners, and they often follow a healthy diet and eat organically. There’s something else going on.”

Dr. Sung said, “We need more studies to look into all the lifetime exposures to identify those risk factors and those results should be able to inform how we can prevent and detect all of these cancers.”

As Dr. Ng explained, “This is really the ‘sandwich generation’—many of these people are parents who are also taking care of their own elderly parents.” 

Some doctors say it would help, while others believe that more research needs to be done to understand genetic predisposition to the disease instead. But they all agree that primary care physicians should certainly be on the lookout for symptoms at every checkup and on all blood tests, regardless of age. 

In fact, according to a study conducted by The Lancet Oncology, cancer is the fourth most common cause of death on the planet for those aged 15 to 39. And if cases keep increasing as they have been, it may soon make its way up that list. 

From fizzy drinks to cereals and packaged snacks to processed meat, these foods contribute to an alarming trend in the standard American diet. While obesity and lack of physical activity are well-recognized health concerns, the unprecedented consumption of ultra-processed foods poses a new and possibly underestimated risk.

In a commentary published in The American Journal of Medicine, the authors emphasize the misalignment between the entertainment industry, the food industry, public policy, and the health needs of patients.

The American College of Cardiology advises patients to opt for minimally processed foods, but there’s a challenge in defining ultra-processed foods precisely, leading to ambiguity in dietary guidelines.

The latter includes industrially made foods with ingredients uncommon in domestic kitchens. The hazards associated with ultra-processed foods extend beyond additives, as they may create a dysbiotic microbiome in the gastrointestinal tract, potentially promoting diseases.

The authors highlight that maintaining a proper mucous layer is crucial, as disruptions, caused by additives like carrageenan, polysorbate-80, and cellulose gum, may lead to vulnerability and trigger immunologic responses.

The authors underscore the need for direct testing in analytic studies to determine the contribution of ultra-processed foods to rising non-communicable diseases. In the interim, healthcare professionals are urged to discuss the benefits of whole foods and advocate for reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods with their patients.

The National Cancer Institute reported that survival rates of cancer among these groups are also increasing. According to their data analysis, overall average death rates have been falling by nearly 1% each year from 2011 to 2020. Young adults have an average survival rate of 86% for cancer, though this number decreases for certain types.

However, this isn’t exactly true. Different cancers will affect different areas of the body and can present differently. This leads to differences in how doctors treat the cancer and how the cancer is even diagnosed. Some cancers are harder to detect early, which gives them a lower survival rate.

Researchers are well aware that people will eventually die, so when they talk about survival rates for cancer, they are often talking about the chance someone will survive for five years after diagnosis. The chance of getting cancer is the same between teenage males and females, but young females have a slightly higher survival rate.

Young men are more likely to suffer from testicular and colorectal cancer as one may expect. However, they are also more at risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Thyroid cancer.

However, thyroid cancer and melanoma are also cancers that young adolescent and adult females need to watch out for. The sex hormone estrogen has been associated with certain cancers, which females have a larger abundance of compared to males.

The risk for leukemia is increased for people who smoke and those who regularly come into contact with vehicle exhaust and cleaning products. Radiation exposure and past experience with chemotherapy also seem to be significant risk factors.

For years scientists have been trying to figure out why this sex difference exists. Many theories were proposed like men tending to smoke more and encounter dangerous chemicals through factory work. A study from 2017 asserted that it has to do with mutations on an X chromosome, which women have two copies of whereas men only have one.

However, certain behaviors are thought to reduce someone’s risk of cancer. These include protecting yourself from the sun’s UV rays, avoiding harmful carcinogens from smoking, and getting regular screenings.

This makes it especially difficult to take steps to prevent the onset of cancer if scientists and doctors don’t even have a clue how some young people get it.

Experts say that vaccines can help prevent sexually transmitted diseases like HPV. Some of these types of viruses are linked to certain types of cancers like cervical cancer. Vaccines like this one tend to work better at a younger age, with doctors recommending someone get this vaccine between the ages of 9 and 12.

The young person’s doctor might recommend removing something like an organ before it has a chance to be a problem.

The National Cancer Institute mentions these technologies and others as reasons for hope that the near future will accelerate both cancer research and treatment. Gene editing is also on the horizon to help fight cancer, though it still has limited application with our current technology.