Sharp global increase in cancer cases among under 50s

Cancer cases have risen by 79% among the under 50s since the 1990s, according to new research published in BMJ Oncology.

This growing number of cancer cases has also pushed death rates up, with more than 1 million people under the age of 50 dying of cancer in 2019, an increase of roughly 28% compared to 1990.

Breast cancer accounted for highest number of early onset cases since 2019, and was also among the cancers which had the highest death toll. However, cancers of the windpipe and prostate have risen the fastest over the past three decades.

Other types of cancer which have exacted the heaviest death toll are windpipe, lung, bowel, and stomach.

3.26 million cancer cases among the under 50s in 2019

Until now, most studies have focused on regional and national differences in cancer rates, with few looking at cancer rates on a global scale.

This study therefore set out to look at the issue from a global perspective, as well as assessing the risk factors for younger adults.

To do this, the researchers drew on data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study, analysing data for 29 cancers across 204 countries and regions.

They looked at the number of new cases among those aged 14 to 49, the health consequences of these cancers and the total number of deaths.

In 2019, new cancer diagnoses among the under 50s totalled 3.26 million, an increase of 79% on the 1990 figure. Breast cancer accounted for the largest number of these cases, followed by non-melanoma skin cancer and cervical cancer.

But new cases of early onset windpipe and prostate cancers rose the fastest between 1990 and 2019, with estimated annual percentage changes of 2.28% and 2.23%, respectively. But not all cancers are on the rise, and early onset liver cancer has fallen by an estimated 2.88% every year.

Women in lower to middle income countries affected more than men

The researchers also looked at how cancer has affected different populations across the globe, and found that the highest rates of early onset cancers in 2019 were in high income areas such as North America, Australasia, and Western Europe.

However, low to middle income countries were also affected, with the highest death rates among the under 50s in Oceania, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Early onset cancer also had a much greater impact on women than men in low to middle income countries, in terms of both deaths and subsequent poor health.

Lifestyle factors likely to have contributed to this rise

The researchers say that various factors will have led to these rising cancer rates, including genetic factors, diet, activity levels, excess weight, and alcohol and tobacco use.

However, in a linked editorial, doctors from the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast highlight that other factors, such as antibiotic usage, the gut microbiome, outdoor air pollution and early life exposures could also have contributed to these rising rates, and these factors are now being explored.

These experts say that prevention and early detection measures are now “urgently required”, alongside new optimal treatment strategies for early onset cancer.

“There is a pressing need for partnership, collaboration and resource distribution at a global level in order to achieve these aims,” they conclude.