Cancers in adults under 50 on the rise globally

LONDON: Over recent decades, more and more adults under the age of 50 are developing cancer. A study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women s Hospital reveals that the incidence of early onset cancers (those diagnosed before age 50), including cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, and pancreas among others, has dramatically increased around the world, with this drastic rise beginning around 1990.

From our data, we observed something called the birth cohort effect. This effect shows that each successive group of people born at a later time (e.g., decade-later) have a higher risk of developing cancer later in life, likely due to risk factors they were exposed to at a young age, explained Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, a professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology at the Brigham. We found that this risk is increasing with each generation. For instance, people born in 1960 experienced higher cancer risk before they turn 50 than people born in 1950 and we predict that this risk level will continue to climb in successive generations.

Early life exposome, which encompasses one s diet, lifestyle, weight, environmental exposures, and microbiome, has changed substantially in the last several decades, reveals the reseach study, adding that the increased incidence of certain cancer types is, in part, due to early detection through cancer screening programs. The scientists noted increased incidence of many of the 14 cancer types is unlikely solely due to enhanced screening alone.

Possible risk factors for early-onset cancer included alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, smoking, obesity, and eating highly processed foods. Surprisingly, researchers found that while adult sleep duration hasn t drastically changed over the several decades, children are getting far less sleep today than they were decades ago. Risk factors such as highly-processedhighly processed foods, sugary beverages, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol consumption have all significantly increased since the 1950s, which researchers speculate has accompanied altered microbiome.

Among the 14 cancer types on the rise that we studied, eight were related to the digestive system. The food we eat feeds the microorganisms in our gut, said Ugai, a secientist. Diet directly affects microbiome composition and eventually these changes can influence disease risk and outcomes.