Cancer incidence rate among people under 50 surged by 79%

Cancer incidence rate among people under 50 surged by 79%.

Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide. In recent years, due to factors such as diet, environment, and population aging, the global cancer incidence rate has been increasing, and cancer as a major cause of death has become more prominent.

According to the latest global cancer data released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2020, China has become a veritable cancer power. As the world’s most populous country, China’s cancer data is not optimistic. Whether it is the number of new cases or deaths, China ranks first in the world.

On September 5, 2023, researchers from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and Harvard University published a research paper titled “Global trends in incidence, death, burden and risk factors of early-onset cancer from 1990 to 2019” in the journal BMJ Oncology.

The study showed that cancer is becoming younger. In the past 30 years, the number of new cancer cases among people under 50 worldwide has increased by 79%, and the number of cancer deaths has increased by 27.7%. Among them, breast cancer had the highest incidence and mortality rate, with 13.7 new cases and 3.5 deaths per 100,000 population.

Between 1990 and 2019, tracheal cancer and prostate cancer had the fastest growth in incidence rate, with annual growth rates of 2.28% and 2.23%, respectively.

However, liver cancer had the largest decline in incidence rate, estimated to decrease by 2.88% annually.

For mortality rate, in 2019, 1.06 million people under 50 died of cancer, an increase of 27.7% compared with 2009. Among them, breast cancer, tracheal cancer, bronchial cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer had the highest mortality rates.

Between 1990 and 2019, kidney cancer and ovarian cancer had the fastest rising trends in mortality rate, while liver cancer had the largest decline.

Incidence rate, mortality rate and DALY of 29 cancers in 1990 and 2019

In low- and middle-income countries, early-onset cancer had a significantly higher impact on mortality and disease burden for women than men.

Based on the trends from 1990 to 2019, the researchers estimated that by 2030, the global incidence rate and number of deaths from early-onset cancer will increase by 31% and 21%, respectively, with people in their forties at the highest risk.

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Global early-onset cancer incidence rate and mortality prediction for 2020-2030

The researchers said that genetic factors may play a role, but they believe that the main risk factors associated with common cancers among people under 50 are high red meat and salt intake, low fruit and milk intake, alcohol consumption and smoking, lack of physical activity, obesity and high blood sugar.

The authors pointed out that since the 20th century, changes in diet, lifestyle and environment have led to an increase in obesity rates, lack of exercise, high-fat diets and environmental pollution, which may have affected the incidence rate of early-onset cancer.

In summary, in the past 30 years, the number of new cancer cases among people under 50 worldwide has increased by 79%, and the number of cancer deaths has increased by 27.7%. There is an urgent need for prevention and early detection measures, as well as identifying the best treatment strategies for early-onset cancer.

Paper link:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjonc-2023-000049

Cancer incidence rate among people under 50 surged by 79%