EARLY CANCERS, DIAGNOSED BEFORE THE AGE OF 50, BECOME INCREASINGLY COMMON WITH EACH GENERATION. THAT’S ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH FROM BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL. SOMEONE BORN IN 1960 IS MORE AT RISK OF BEING DIAGNOSED BEFORE AGE 50 THAN SOMEONE BORN IN 1950 AND LACK OF SLEEP AT AN EARLIER AGE. THE HOSPITAL WISHES TO COLLABORATE WITH INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH GROUPS TO
Cancers in adults under 50 are increasing ‘dramatically’, say researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Updated: 12:27 PM EDT September 7, 2022
The incidence of early-onset cancers, those diagnosed before the age of 50, including cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver and pancreas, has ‘significantly increased’ in decades, according to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The scientists carried out extensive analyzes of data available in the literature and online, including information on early exposures, which may have contributed to the trend with the aim of understanding why more young people are being diagnosed with cancer. “From our data, we observed what is called the birth cohort effect. This effect shows that each successive group of people born later (say, a decade later) has a higher risk of developing cancer later in life, likely due to risk factors they were exposed to in a young age,” Shuji Ogino said. , MD, Ph.D., professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology at Brigham. “We found that this risk increases with each generation. For example, people born in 1960 had a higher cancer risk before they turned 50 than people born in 1950, and we expect this level of risk to continue to increase over generations. changed considerably in recent decades. Thus, they hypothesized that factors such as westernized diet and lifestyle could contribute to the early onset of the cancer epidemic. The team recognized that the increased incidence of certain types of cancer is, in part, due to early detection through cancer screening programs. The scientists said one of the limitations of the study is that the researchers did not have enough data from low- and middle-income countries to identify trends in cancer incidence over decades. . In the future, they said they hope to continue this research by collecting more data and collaborating with international research institutes to better monitor global trends. The study results are published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.
The incidence of early-onset cancers, those diagnosed before the age of 50, including cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver and pancreas, has ‘significantly increased’ in decades, according to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. .
The scientists carried out extensive analyzes of data available in the literature and online, including information on early exposures, which may have contributed to the trend with the aim of understanding why more young people are being diagnosed with cancer.
“From our data, we observed what is called the birth cohort effect. This effect shows that each successive group of people born later (say, a decade later) has a higher risk of developing cancer later in life, likely due to risk factors they were exposed to in a young age,” Shuji Ogino said. , MD, Ph.D., professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology at Brigham. “We found that this risk increases with each generation. For example, people born in 1960 had a higher cancer risk before they turned 50 than people born in 1950, and we expect this level of risk to continue to increase over generations.
The researchers said people’s diets, lifestyles, weight and environmental exposures have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Thus, they hypothesized that factors such as westernized diet and lifestyle could contribute to the early onset of the cancer epidemic.
The team recognized that the increased incidence of certain types of cancer is, in part, due to early detection through cancer screening programs.
Possible risk factors for early cancer included alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, smoking, obesity, and consumption of highly processed foods.
The scientists said one of the limitations of the study is that the researchers did not have enough data from low- and middle-income countries to identify trends in cancer incidence over decades. .
In the future, they said they hope to continue this research by collecting more data and collaborating with international research institutes to better monitor global trends.
The results of the study are published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.