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Straits Times
a day ago
- Health
- Straits Times
Rare appendix cancers are increasing among millennials and Gen X
Cancer incidence rates among members of Generation X were two to three times higher than among people born in the 1940s. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH NEW YORK - A new study shows that appendix cancer is becoming more common among younger generations, mirroring a pattern that has been occurring with other cancers since the 1990s. Cancer incidence rates among members of Generation X were two to three times higher than among people born in the 1940s, according to the study, which was published on June 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Rates among older millennials, born in the 1980s, were more than four times higher. Even with those increases, appendix cancer still remains extremely rare. Doctors diagnose an estimated 3,000 new cases in the United States each year, compared with more than 150,000 cases of colon and rectal cancers. The findings come at a time of growing concern about the earlier onset of certain cancers, including colorectal, breast and kidney cancers. The new research describes what's known as a 'birth cohort' effect, or a disease becoming more common among successive generations. Such an effect lends credence to the idea that people born after a certain time have had similar exposures to something that is increasing their cancer risk more so than among people born decades before, said Dr Andrea Cercek, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre who was not involved in the study. And the fact that researchers have seen similar generational effects in colorectal and gastric cancers suggests there may be some shared risk factors between those cancers and appendix cancer, said Dr Andrew Chan, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who researches the epidemiology of colon cancer and also was not involved in the study. Diet is one such possibility, he said. Our consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased over time, and these foods – particularly processed meats and sugar-sweetened beverages – have been associated with increased risk for colon cancer. Rates of metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes – both of which have been associated with colon and stomach cancers – have been increasing over time. Young people, in particular, may be increasingly exposed to the negative effects of obesity and diabetes during a time of life when they are possibly more susceptible to developing cancer, Dr Chan said. Alcohol and changes to the gut microbiome are also thought to increase the risk of some gastrointestinal cancers. Scientists still don't know whether any of these environmental factors specifically influence appendix cancer, said assistant professor of hematology and oncology Andreana Holowatyj, from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and lead author of the new study. Because the cancer is so rare, there is very little research on its causes. She and other experts said that a multitude of factors are likely at play, including genetics. Better diagnosis may also be responsible for some of the documented increase, Asst Prof Holowatyj said. Until recently, some appendix cancers – which are often diagnosed incidentally when someone with appendicitis has their appendix removed – were misclassified as colon cancer. But it's unlikely that the increase in appendix cancer is merely a matter of improved classification, she said. The researchers found a particularly strong generational effect for a specific type of cancer that has always been classified as appendix cancer. Doctors treating appendicitis have also shifted away from surgery when possible, Dr Cercek said, meaning that more cancer diagnoses after appendectomies wouldn't be driving the result, either. A research effort called the Appendiceal Cancer Consortium is working to pool data and specimens from across studies to better understand the risk factors and biological markers specific to appendix cancer. While there is no good way to screen for the cancer right now, scientists hope that more knowledge about the disease will lead to greater awareness of the symptoms and, perhaps, earlier detection. In other research, Asst Prof Holowatyj found that 77 per cent of patients diagnosed with appendix cancer presented with at least one sign or symptom of an abdominal condition, like pain or bloating. Often, those symptoms lasted for months, compared with the more acute symptoms that usually cause people with appendicitis to seek care. 'There's an opportunity and a window for intervention there,' Asst Prof Holowatyj said. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Age
26-05-2025
- The Age
Australian identified after alleged 1.7kg cocaine bust in Bali
After the handover was made, police followed the Australian back to his apartment and arrested him. A source close to the investigation told this masthead the Australian received minor injuries while allegedly attempting to resist arrest. One of Ahchee's neighbours told this masthead there was a commotion on Thursday in the alleyway near the apartments, which the resident assumed involved immigration officials, not narcotics officers. 'Cocaine, in a Muslim country? This is a Muslim country,' the neighbour said when informed of the charges. A police statement said the seizure had 'successfully saved 2666 lives'. A conviction for an offence involving more than five grams of a category one drug such as cocaine is enough to open up the possibility of a death sentence under Indonesian law, but lesser sentences are also available. The Australian Federal Police was contacted for comment. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to an Australian detained in Bali. 'Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment,' a DFAT spokesman said. According to his LinkedIn profile, Ahchee worked in public relations in Australia in the early 2000s and managed VIPs at a Sydney nightclub. After moving to Bali, he became a marketing director of a day club and co-founded a digital advertising company before turning his attention to Brick Lane, a new restaurant development in Canggu, a coastal village near Seminyak. 'This is a cutting-edge venue design and I can't wait until we get to the excitement with our menu and cocktails,' Ahchee posted on Facebook last March. By October, according to another post, he had stepped away from his position as general manager. 'It's been a ride that I will always be proud of,' he said. Corporate records show that in Australia, he has been a director and a shareholder of two companies, including L A Talent Management Pty Ltd, which he quit in 2016. If Ahchee were convicted, it would create a diplomatic headache for the Australian government, which opposes the death penalty, reminiscent of the Bali Nine case. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the so-called ringleaders of the Bali Nine, were executed by firing squad in 2015, 10 years after the group was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle more than eight kilograms of heroin out of Indonesia. The five members who remained in Indonesian prisons – Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens and Si-Yi Chen – were returned to Australia in December as new President Prabowo Subianto sought to begin his relationship with Australia on a positive footing.
The Age
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Australian allegedly busted in Bali with 1.5 kilograms of cocaine
An Australian has allegedly been caught in Bali with enough drugs to qualify for the death penalty or decades in prison. Local media has reported the person, whose identity remains unknown, was arrested in an apartment in the Canggu area of the popular holiday island on Thursday last week. Bali police alleged the package, which arrived from Thailand, contained 1.5 kilograms of cocaine. The amount would be enough to open up the possibility of a death sentence if the person were found guilty, but other sentences are also available. Bali police are expected to speak to the media on Monday afternoon (AEST). If the person were convicted, it would create a diplomatic headache for the Australian government – which opposes the death penalty – reminiscent of the Bali Nine case. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the so-called ringleaders of the Bali Nine, were executed by firing squad in 2015, 10 years after the group was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle more than 8 kilograms of heroin out of Indonesia. The five members who remained in Indonesian prisons were returned to Australia in December as new President Prabowo Subianto sought to begin his relationship with Australia on a positive footing.
Sydney Morning Herald
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australian allegedly busted in Bali with 1.5 kilograms of cocaine
An Australian has allegedly been caught in Bali with enough drugs to qualify for the death penalty or decades in prison. Local media has reported the person, whose identity remains unknown, was arrested in an apartment in the Canggu area of the popular holiday island on Thursday last week. Bali police alleged the package, which arrived from Thailand, contained 1.5 kilograms of cocaine. The amount would be enough to open up the possibility of a death sentence if the person were found guilty, but other sentences are also available. Bali police are expected to speak to the media on Monday afternoon (AEST). If the person were convicted, it would create a diplomatic headache for the Australian government – which opposes the death penalty – reminiscent of the Bali Nine case. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the so-called ringleaders of the Bali Nine, were executed by firing squad in 2015, 10 years after the group was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle more than 8 kilograms of heroin out of Indonesia. The five members who remained in Indonesian prisons were returned to Australia in December as new President Prabowo Subianto sought to begin his relationship with Australia on a positive footing.
West Australian
26-05-2025
- West Australian
Australian man arrested in Canggu, Bali, after allegedly trying to smuggle 1.5kg of cocaine into Indonesia
An Australian has been arrested in Bali after allegedly trying to smuggle 1.5kg of cocaine into Indonesia. Balinese officers arrested the man at a Canggu apartment on Thursday after custom officers allegedly found the drugs concealed in a package — addressed to the man — when it was X-rayed on arrival in Indonesia. The drugs are believed to have been arriving from Thailand. The man allegedly resisted the arrest and sustained multiple injuries. The penalty for drug smuggling offences in Indonesia is life imprisonment or the death penalty. It comes more than 10 years after nine Australians were arrested in Bali for attempting to smuggle more than 8kg of heroin — a street value of more than $4 million — out of Indonesia in 2005. Ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in April 2015. The remaining seven — Renae Lawrence, Scott Rush, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens, Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen and Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen — were sentenced to life in prison.
