(VitalNews.org) – Generation X and Millennials are at a greater risk than previous generations of seventeen cancers, according to a new study.
Researchers from the American Cancer Society analyzed data from millions of people born between the 1920s and 1990s diagnosed with thirty-four different types of cancer between 2000 and 2019. The cancers that were shown to be on the rise are stomach, small intestine cancer, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, ovarian, liver, colorectal, bile duct, testicular, uterine, gallbladder, kidney, pancreatic cancer, myeloma, and leukemia.
The cancers with the most growth in younger generations were thyroid, kidney, small intestine, pancreatic, and liver cancer. These were all two to four times the rate for those born in the nineties when compared to those born in the fifties.
Death rates for these cancers seem to be dropping or staying the same, but some of them are causing the younger generations to die at higher rates, like colorectal cancer. William Dahut, MD, a medical oncologist and the American Cancer Society’s chief scientific officer, said that there could be something different about the biology of cancers in younger patients.
He said, “We probably need to think of different ways to screen for these cancers.”
Kevin Nead, MD, a radiation oncologist and assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center said, “We should actively assess and adjust screening practices for younger individuals so that we are not missing opportunities to find these cancers early and cure them.”
When looking at the cancers, ten of them were associated with body weight which could imply a possible link to higher obesity rates in younger generations. Experts say that this is only a piece of the puzzle and that potential exposure to certain carcinogens, lifestyle habits, alcohol use, drug use, and processed food consumption could all play a role in this as well.
When looking at the data, researchers also found that there were declines in some cancers like smoking-related cancers and cervical cancer among the younger generation.
Copyright 2024, VitalNews.org
