The number of people aged below 50 years being diagnosed with cancer has jumped to nearly 80% in three decades globally, according to the largest study of its kind. The alarming increase has resulted in 27.7% more deaths.
The study, published in BMJ Oncology, explored the global burden of early-onset cancer based on the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study for 29 cancers worldwide. The findings revealed that cancer cases in people aged between 14 and 49 years rose from 1.82 million in 1990 to 3.26 million in 2019, an increase of 79% from the 1990 figure.
Although previous studies have found that cancer occurrence in adults under the age of 50 years has been increasing since the 1990s, most have focused on regional differences. Led by researchers from Zhejiang University School of Medicine in China, the study used information collected across 204 countries to challenge the common perceptions about the type of cancer that impact young people, as reported by Science Direct.
More than 1 million people under 50 died of cancer in 2019. Breast cancer has been the cause of the most deaths overall. The cancers that severely impacted younger adults in 2019 were windpipe, lung, bowel, and stomach cancers. New cases of early-onset cancer, which refers to those occurring before age 50, are expected to increase by 31% globally by 2030, leading to a 21% increase in deaths, according to Science Direct. The risk is highest for people aged between 40 and 49.
The highest rates of early-onset cancers in 2019 were in North America, Australasia, and Western Europe. In low- and middle-income countries, early-onset cancer had a significantly greater impact on women than on men, in terms of poor health and deaths. Dietary risk factors such as diets high in red meat, low in fruits, high in sodium and low in milk, alcohol consumption and tobacco use are the main risk factors underlying early-onset cancers, according to the study.
The findings emphasise the importance of early diagnosis and targeted treatment, the researchers say in the study. “Encouraging a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet, the restriction of tobacco and alcohol consumption and appropriate outdoor activity could reduce the burden of early onset cancer,” the study elaborates.
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