The new cases of cancer Among those under 50 years of age, they registered a global increase of 79.1% between 1990 and 2019, while the number of deaths increased by 27.7%, according to a study published by BMJ Oncology.
The researchers estimate, according to projections, that the global number of incidences and associated deaths from cases of early-onset cancer could increase by a 31% and a twenty-one%respectively, in 2030, with people in their 40s being the most at risk.
The study, coordinated by Zhejiang University in China and with participation from the United States, the United Kingdom and Sweden, is based on data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 on 29 types of cancer in 204 countries and regions.
Although cancer tends to be more common in older people, evidence suggests that cases among those under 50 have increased in many parts of the world since the 1990s, the researchers write.
In 2019, new cancer diagnoses among those under 50 years of age totaled 1.82 million, an increase of 79.1% compared to the 1990 figure. Overall, breast cancer accounted for the largest number of these cases and associated deaths.
However, new cases of trachea and prostate were the ones that increased most rapidly in the period studied, with estimated annual percentage changes of the 2.28% and the 2.23%respectively.
At the other end of the spectrum, early-onset liver cancer was reduced by a 2.88% estimated annual.
Overall, due to cancer, 1.06 million people under 50 died in 2019, an increase of 27.7% compared to 1990.
After breast cancer, those that caused the greatest number of deaths were those of the trachea, lung, stomach and intestine. The steepest increases in deaths were among people with kidney or ovarian cancer.
The team looked at the incidence (new cases), deaths, health consequences (disability-adjusted life years), and risk factors for people aged 14 to 49 and estimated the annual percentage change between 1990 and 2019.
The highest rates of early-onset cancers in 2019 occurred in North America, Australasia, and Western Europe.
Low- and middle-income countries were also affected, with the highest mortality rates among those under 50 years of age in Oceania, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.
In low- and middle-income countries, early-onset cancer had a much greater impact on women than on men, both in terms of deaths and poor health after the disease.
As for causes, the team notes that genetic factors likely play a role, but the main risk factors among those under 50 are diets high in red meat and salt and low in fruit and milk, as well as such as alcohol consumption and smoking, to which physical inactivity, being overweight and hyperglycemia contribute.
The investigators acknowledge several limitations in their analysis, notably the variable quality of data from cancer registries in different countries, which may have led to underreporting and underdiagnosis.
A comment published by BMJ Oncology, signed by researchers from Queen’s University of Belfast, highlights that these results “question perceptions about the type of cancer diagnosed in younger age groups.”
In addition, they consider that they are “urgent prevention and early detection measures, together with the identification of optimal treatment strategies for early-onset cancers”. Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
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