A study published in the Journal BMI Oncology found that from 1990 to 2019, new cancer cases among younger ages increased by about 79% globally! So why are so many more young people being affected?
Kevin Hays was diagnosed with colon cancer when he was just 28 years old. Sonia Richard got the same news at age 30.
“I thought, ‘OK I have cancer. I’m going to die,’” Richard said.
Researchers don’t know exactly why the cancer rate is increasing, but there are theories.
“There’s some thought that it has to do with the components of the western lifestyle,” said Dr. Patrick Boland, a medical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
Some experts point to the rise in obesity among younger populations as a possible culprit. An increased consumption of ultra-processed foods and a sedentary lifestyle could also be to blame.
A recent study suggests that the uptick may have to do with something else: the fact that many younger people have faster biological aging than older generations. Their cells are aging faster and that puts them at a higher risk for developing cancer -- especially lung, stomach, intestinal, and uterine cancers.
“When he told me that, ‘We found a tumor, and you have cancer,’ I couldn’t even hear the rest of what he was saying,” Hays said.
The good news is lifestyle interventions like quality sleep, exercise, and good nutrition may be able to slow premature aging and your risk of developing cancer.
The researchers found that those born in 1965 or later were 17% more likely to show accelerated aging than those born earlier. To determine the participants’ biological age, they took blood samples and analyzed them for nine specific markers.
Knowing a person’s biological age could provide them with a new way to identify those at risk for developing cancer younger. Then, researchers say they could tailor screening and prevention strategies.