Number of people under 50 diagnosed with cancer has surged worldwide, reveals study

The number of people diagnosed with cancer under the age of 50 has increased globally over the span of last 30 years but the reason behind it is not yet clear, revealed a new study on Wednesday (September 6).

As per a study published in the journal BMJ Oncology, the cases of cancer among people aged between 14 to 49 years ascended by nearly 80 per cent, from 1.82 million to 3.26 million, between 1990 to 2019.

Though some experts warned that the probable reason behind the increase in number was also linked to the growth in population, previous studies have highlighted that the disease is becoming more common among people under 50 years of age.

Poor diet, smoking and alcohol have been named as major factors behind this by the international team of researchers behind the new study.

But "the increasing trend of early-onset cancer burden is still unclear," they added.

A little over one million people under the age of 50 lost their lives to cancer in the year 2019, which went up by 28 per cent from the year 1990, said the study.

The deadliest cancers that claimed the lives of many included breast, windpipe, lung, bowel and stomach cancers, according to the study.

Breast cancer was the one that was mostly diagnosed over the three decades. But the cancers that rose rapidly were of the nasopharynx, where the back of the nose meets the top of the throat and the prostate. Meanwhile, liver cancer fell by 2.9 per cent a year.

The researchers used data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, examining the rates of 29 different cancers in 204 countries.

According to the study, the developed countries had a higher rate of under-50s diagnosed with cancer.

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This could suggest that richer countries with better healthcare systems catch cancer earlier, but only a few nations screen for certain cancers in people under 50, the study added.

It said that factors like poor diet, smoking and drinking, genetic factors, physical inactivity and obesity could also contribute to the trend.

Modelling predicted that the number of global cancer cases in those under 50 will rise further 31 per cent by 2030, mostly among people aged 40-49.

The experts who weren't involved in the study said that the gradual upsurge in the number of deaths compared to the cases was presumably due to advancements in early detection and treatment.

Dorothy Bennett, a researcher at the University of London, highlighted that the world's population rose by roughly 46 per cent between 1990 and 2019, which could be another reason behind the increasing cases.

Two doctors at Queen's University Belfast, Ashleigh Hamilton and Helen Coleman, said it was "crucial" to work out what was behind the increasing cases.

"Full understanding of the reasons driving the observed trends remains elusive, although lifestyle factors are likely contributing, and novel areas of research such as antibiotic usage, the gut microbiome, outdoor air pollution and early life exposures are being explored," they said in an editorial linked to the study.

(With inputs from agencies)
 

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