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Experts are sounding the alarm after a new study showed that people born after 1980 are at a higher risk of cancer than previous generations, Antena 3 reported.
According to research published in the medical journal The Lancet Public Health, rates of 17 cancers have risen sharply among millennials and Generation X in recent years, and for some cancers, those born after 1990 face double or even triple the risk of those born in 1955. . The increasing number of young people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, as well as other forms of this disease, is worrying. What the new study found Researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS) assessed the rates of 34 different types of cancer among people born between 1920 and 1990, based on the number of diagnosed cases and deaths recorded from 2000 to 2019, according to the website AOL. The study showed that, on average, the rates of 17 cancers, including pancreatic, breast and stomach cancers, have increased with each generation since 1920. Previous research from the ACS has shown an increase in the rates of 11 cancers among young people, including pancreatic, colorectal, kidney, uterine and testicular cancers.
The new study adds eight more cancers to that list: stomach cancer (cancer of the stomach lining), small intestine cancer, ER-positive breast cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer and bile duct cancer, unrelated cancers of the mouth and pharynx. HPV (only in women), anal cancer (only in men), Kaposi’s sarcoma (cancer of the lining of blood vessels and lymph nodes, only in men). Rates of some of these cancers have doubled or even tripled in people of all sexes, including kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer and small intestine cancer. Among women, liver cancer rates have doubled to triple since the 1920s, and even cancers that seemed to be declining between 1946 and 1970 and earlier generations, including some types of breast cancer and testicular cancer, are now declining. The study suggests that generations after 1980 are at greater risk.
More young people are dying from some of these cancers, too. Death rates for colorectal, gallbladder, testicular and uterine cancers have increased from generation to generation, and liver cancer is also increasing, but only in women. All indicators point to a real increase in cancer risk at a young age, said Hyuna Sung, Ph.D., a researcher at the American Cancer Society and the study’s lead author. Why are people born after 1980 at higher risk for cancer? While the new study doesn’t quite answer that question, Sung and other experts have a leading suspicion: obesity. Ten of the 17 cancers that are becoming more common have been linked to obesity, the study authors noted. Research aimed at determining exactly how obesity causes cancer is ongoing, but there are some strong theories, said Timothy Rebbeck, a professor of cancer prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “When a person is obese, a lot of things happen to the body, including chronic inflammation that causes cell and tissue destruction in the body, which can lead to cancer,” he explained. The increase in obesity and cancer, especially in young people, suggests the problem may start in childhood. What you can do to reduce your risk Despite the alarming findings, experts say don’t panic. “Cancer diagnosed before age 50 is still relatively rare,” Rebbeck said. Of the 100,000 cancer cases diagnosed each year, only about 350 occur in people between the ages of 45 and 49, according to the National Cancer Institute. “People don’t need to start panicking, but we want people to be informed and start doing things that can have a positive impact on their lives,” Rebbeck said. Experts say that means people should make lifestyle changes and live healthier lives to reduce their risk of cancer by doing their best to maintain a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, reducing intake of ultra-processed foods and red meat, and eating foods rich in vegetables and fish, such as salmon. It’s also important for everyone to know their family history and consult a doctor if they notice any changes that could be early signs of a serious disease.
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