The study looked at incidence data for 34 types of cancer and mortality data for 25 types of cancer for individuals aged 25–84 years
Young people are more at risk of some types of cancers, an analysis published in The Lancet Public Health has found. It looked at incidence data for 34 types of cancer and mortality data for 25 types of cancer for individuals aged 25–84 years for the period Jan 1, 2000, to Dec 31, 2019.
It found that the incidence rate was approximately two-to-three times higher in the 1990 birth cohort than in the 1955 birth cohort for small intestine, kidney, renal pelvis and pancreatic cancers in both males and females; and for liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer in females.
“17 of 34 cancers had an increasing incidence in younger birth cohorts, including nine that previously had declining incidence in older birth cohorts. These findings add to growing evidence of increased cancer risk in younger generations, highlighting the need to identify and tackle underlying risk factors,” the researchers from American Cancer Society wrote. The team had previously reported that incidence rates increased in successively younger birth cohorts for eight cancer types—six of which are obesity-related.
The rising cancer incidence for many cancer types in successively younger generations suggests increases in the prevalence of carcinogenic exposures during early life or young adulthood, which have yet to be elucidated, the researchers said about the implications of their findings.
India has a high and many experts feel, underreported burden of cancer. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, in 2022, the projected number of new cancer cases in India was 1,461,427, with a crude incidence rate of 100.4 per 100,000 individuals. Approximately one in nine people in India is expected to face a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime.
