Over the past year, there has been an increase in Generation X and Millennials being diagnosed with various types of cancer, including breast and stomach cancer.
American Cancer Society researchers have found that several of the 34 types of cancer are increasing with each new generation.
For example, individuals born in 1955 are two to three times more likely to develop pancreatic, kidney, and small bowel cancer than those born in 1955. Notably, younger women are also two to three times more likely to develop liver cancer than women of older generations.
Nine other types of cancer have also been observed to increase in younger generations, including breast, uterus, colon, stomach, gallbladder, ovaries, and testes cancer, as well as cancer of the anus and Kaposi’s sarcoma.
Data from 1990 suggest that the number of women born with ovarian cancer was 12 percent higher, and uterine cancer was 169 percent higher than in generations with the lowest incidence of cancer.
Among younger generations, deaths from cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, testicles, colon, and liver have also increased.
Justin Balko, a professor of medicine, hematology, and oncology at Vanderbilt University, notes that the increase in cancer rates among younger people may be partly attributed to advancements in diagnostic technology, allowing for earlier detection of cancer.
Research Methodology
The study analyzed over 23 million patient records diagnosed with cancer and 7 million deaths from 2000 to 2019.
Data were obtained from the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and the US National Center for Health Statistics.
The study calculated age- and period-adjusted cancer incidence and mortality rates for different generations using five-year intervals from 1920 to 1990.
The study authors concluded that the increase in cancer cases among younger generations suggests intergenerational changes in cancer risk and emphasized the need to identify and address key risk factors in the Gen X and Millennial population to develop prevention strategies.