Exploring upsurge in cancer among young adults

Certain factors could be responsible for the appearance of concerning increases in the rate of early-onset cancers.

In a comprehensive analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine, investigators used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program and National Vital Statistics System to analyze trends in the rates of early-onset cancer incidence and mortality among patients younger than 50 years with one of eight malignancies: thyroid, anal, colorectal, renal, small intestinal, endometrial and pancreatic cancers and myeloma.

Despite elevated rates of early-onset cancer diagnoses, the rates of most cancer mortality among most cancer types remained stable or declined over the study period. The investigators suggested that the findings represented overdiagnoses in cancers that would likely never result in mortality as well as advances in cancer detection. Just colorectal and endometrial cancers exhibited increases in cancer mortality.

The results of the study highlighted the long-term burden of cancer diagnoses among younger patients and could dismantle the epidemic narrative surrounding early-onset cancers.

Read more: JAMA Internal Medicine

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