Latest news with #KimmieNg
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Health
- Gizmodo
Gastrointestinal Cancers Are Surging Among Younger Americans
Young people appear to be increasingly vulnerable to gastrointestinal cancers, but researchers aren't entirely sure what is driving the surge in disease. In a new study out this week, scientists led by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that rates of early-onset GI cancers—those occurring in people younger than 50—are rising more rapidly than other types of cancer. In particular, colorectal cancer cases have significantly increased, while rates of other forms of the disease, like stomach cancer, are creeping up, too. While the paper doesn't come to definitive conclusions as to why these conditions are becoming more common, the researchers point to risk factors like obesity, a poor diet, and sedentary behavior. 'Colorectal cancer is the most common early-onset GI cancer worldwide, accounting for more than half of the cases, but it is not the only GI cancer that is rising in younger adults,' said senior study author Kimmie Ng, director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber, in a statement. 'Unfortunately, pancreatic, gastric, and esophageal cancers are also increasing in young people,' she added. 45 Is the New 50 When It Comes to Colorectal Cancer Screening Ng and her colleagues reviewed data collected from 100 studies, as well as past scientific reviews, and cancer-related guidelines. They also analyzed three publicly available cancer statistic databases. Since 2010, the incidence of early-onset GI cancers has been increasing globally, they found, but especially in high-income countries like the U.S. Between 2010 and 2019, the age-adjusted incidence rate in the U.S. increased by 2.16% annually—the greatest increase of any early-onset cancer during that time. In 2022, there were at least 25,000 Americans under 50 who developed GI cancer. The team's findings were published Thursday in JAMA. An earlier, separate review of data—by some of the same authors—over a similar time period concluded that the rate of GI cancer has tripled in young people aged between 15 and 19, and almost doubled in those aged between 20 and 24. 'The rising incidence of early-onset GI cancers is alarming and underscores the need for enhanced prevention strategies and early detection methods,' said Ng. As the rates of these cancers have risen, so have some of their risk factors, including rates of obesity and time spent sitting; ultraprocessed foods are also more common now, especially in Western diets. Still, the researchers estimate that as much as 30% of early-onset GI cancer may be linked to genetic mutations. Other scientists have argued that other issues, like common stomach infections, could also be driving the increase in cancer rates. Scientists May Have Figured Out Why Young People Are Getting Colorectal Cancer More Often Even as the causes remain unclear, what is clear is that more work needs to be done to help catch these cancers early enough, before they become impossible to treat, the researchers said. In 2020, public health experts recommended routine screening for colorectal cancer in people 45 and up, but the researchers noted that a year later, fewer than 20% of people ages 45 to 49 went for a screening. Another outstanding question is whether early-onset GI cancers are different from those caught later in life, and if so, should they be treated differently. 'We need to be thinking not only about the risk factors for these diseases but also how to screen, diagnose, and treat young people with these cancers,' said Ng.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50
There has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under the age of 50, according to a new review. Gastrointestinal cancers, such as colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, 'represent the most rapidly increasing early-onset cancer in the US,' researchers wrote in a review published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Thursday. Colorectal cancer, which develops in the colon or rectum, was the most common among early-onset gastrointestinal cancers in the U.S. in 2022, with just over 20,800 people diagnosed. There were 2,689 diagnoses of Gastric cancer, which develops in the stomach lining, that year, followed by 2,657 diagnoses of pancreatic cancer and 875 diagnoses of esophageal cancer. Most early-onset gastrointestinal cancers are linked to risk factors that could be changed, such as obesity, poor-quality diet, and a somewhat inactive lifestyle. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are other risk factors. 'It's really what people were doing or exposed to when they were infants, children, adolescents that is probably contributing to their risk of developing cancer as a young adult,' Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told NBC News. There are also risk factors that patients don't have control over such as family history and hereditary syndromes. People with early-onset colorectal cancer could have inflammatory bowel disease. Researchers wrote in the review: 'The prognosis for patients with early-onset GI cancers is similar to or worse than that for patients with later-onset GI cancers, highlighting the need for improved methods of prevention and early detection.' The American Cancer Society recommends people at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screening at the age of 45. Before 2018, the ACS recommended screenings start at the age of 50. 'It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer,' Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who was not involved in the review, told NBC News. It's still unclear why young patients with gastrointestinal cancers could have worse survival rates than older patients. 'My personal feeling is that it's because we're finding them at a more advanced stage, because people don't really think of colon or other GI cancers when they see a young person with these nonspecific complaints,' Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey, who was not involved in the review, told NBC News. But Ng said even when taking the stage of cancer into account, young patients still seem to have worse survival rates, and questioned whether there's a biological reason.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gastrointestinal cancers are rising dramatically in people under 50
Gastrointestinal cancers, which include colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancer, are rising dramatically in younger adults, though doctors aren't fully sure why. Even some of the possible causes require more research, they say. According to a review published Thursday in JAMA, gastrointestinal cancers have become the fastest-growing type of cancers diagnosed in adults younger than 50 in the U.S. The review, one of the most comprehensive looks at gastrointestinal cancer trends, summarized the findings of major international and U.S. cancer databases, plus 115 papers on gastrointestinal cancers published from January 2014 to March 2025. The authors underscore the need for people to follow the screening guidelines for colorectal cancer, which suggest that people with an average risk start screening — usually a colonoscopy or stool test — at age 45. Since doctors don't routinely screen for pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers in the U.S., the authors also call for new ways to screen more people for these cancers. 'This really points to the importance of trying to improve screening and early detection,' said Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. According to the review, colorectal cancer is by far the most common early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, with nearly 185,000 cases reported worldwide in 2022 and nearly 21,000 cases reported that same year in the U.S. Diagnoses in the U.S. have risen 2% annually in people younger than 50 since 2011, according to the American Cancer Society. 'It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer,' said Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who was not involved in the research. In one of the most high-profile examples, actor Chadwick Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and died of the disease four years later at age 43. Early-onset cases of pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers are also rising, according to the new study. Previous research has shown a disproportionate share of those gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses were among Black and Hispanic people. Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer, with just 13% of patients surviving five years after their diagnosis. Because colorectal cancer is the most common, doctors said they have a better grasp of what might be contributing to these early-onset cases compared with others. 'If we can understand what's going on in colorectal [cancer], I think it would really provide a lot of guidance to help us understand the other GI tract cancers,' said Dr. Scott Kopetz, a professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Kopetz said there are likely multiple factors driving the increase in early-onset cases. 'The leading theory is that there is no single leading theory,' he said. Ng's new review in JAMA suggests that most gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50 are associated with lifestyle factors such as obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet, cigarette smoking or alcohol consumption. One study included in the review found that women who consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages during adolescence had a higher risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer. 'It's really what people were doing or exposed to when they were infants, children, adolescents that is probably contributing to their risk of developing cancer as a young adult,' Ng said. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been vocal about the association between sugary beverages and health issues, including cancer. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola will start being made with cane sugar rather than corn syrup in the U.S., but the company did not commit to the change when asked about it by NBC News. Marshall said he suspects the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer could have something to do with changes in people's gut microbiomes — the bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tracts. Diet, antibiotic use, microplastics and exposure to environmental chemicals likely all influence a person's gut bacteria, but scientists still don't have a clear understanding of what a healthy microbiome looks like nor how it affects our health. That is a booming area of research. Ng's review also found that 15% to 30% of people with early-onset gastrointestinal cancer carry hereditary genetic mutations that may have predisposed them to getting cancer at a young age. Because of that, she said, 'we do recommend that all young patients diagnosed under the age of 50 undergo testing for hereditary conditions.' Overall survival rates for gastrointestinal cancers have gotten better over time, due to improvements in treatment and screening. But Ng's review found that younger patients often have worse outcomes, despite typically receiving more treatments, including more surgery, radiation and aggressive combinations of chemotherapy, she said. One reason could be that primary care doctors may overlook symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, heartburn or reflux in younger patients, thereby delaying their diagnoses. 'My personal feeling is that it's because we're finding them at a more advanced stage, because people don't really think of colon or other GI cancers when they see a young person with these nonspecific complaints,' said Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey. But Ng said that even after controlling for the stage at which patients are diagnosed, young people still seem to have worse survival rates. 'This makes us wonder as researchers whether that means that the cancers that develop in younger people may be biologically different and more aggressive, or maybe less responsive to treatment,' she said. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
NBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- NBC News
Gastrointestinal cancers are rising dramatically in people under 50
Gastrointestinal cancers, which include colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancer, are rising dramatically in younger adults, though doctors aren't fully sure why. Even some of the possible causes require more research, they say. According to a review published Thursday in JAMA, gastrointestinal cancers have become the fastest-growing type of cancers diagnosed in adults younger than 50 in the U.S. The review, one of the most comprehensive looks at gastrointestinal cancer trends, summarized the findings of major international and U.S. cancer databases, plus 115 papers on gastrointestinal cancers published from January 2014 to March 2025. The authors underscore the need for people to follow the screening guidelines for colorectal cancer, which suggest that people with an average risk start screening — usually a colonoscopy or stool test — at age 45. Since doctors don't routinely screen for pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers in the U.S., the authors also call for new ways to screen more people for these cancers. 'This really points to the importance of trying to improve screening and early detection,' said Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. According to the review, colorectal cancer is by far the most common early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, with nearly 185,000 cases reported worldwide in 2022 and nearly 21,000 cases reported that same year in the U.S. Diagnoses in the U.S. have risen 2% annually in people younger than 50 since 2011, according to the American Cancer Society. 'It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer,' said Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who was not involved in the research. In one of the most high-profile examples, actor Chadwick Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and died of the disease four years later at age 43. Early-onset cases of pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers are also rising, according to the new study. Previous research has shown a disproportionate share of those gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses were among Black and Hispanic people. Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer, with just 13% of patients surviving five years after their diagnosis. Because colorectal cancer is the most common, doctors said they have a better grasp of what might be contributing to these early-onset cases compared with others. 'If we can understand what's going on in colorectal [cancer], I think it would really provide a lot of guidance to help us understand the other GI tract cancers,' said Dr. Scott Kopetz, a professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Kopetz said there are likely multiple factors driving the increase in early-onset cases. 'The leading theory is that there is no single leading theory,' he said. Ng's new review in JAMA suggests that most gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50 are associated with lifestyle factors such as obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet, cigarette smoking or alcohol consumption. One study included in the review found that women who consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages during adolescence had a higher risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer. 'It's really what people were doing or exposed to when they were infants, children, adolescents that is probably contributing to their risk of developing cancer as a young adult,' Ng said. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been vocal about the association between sugary beverages and health issues, including cancer. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola will start being made with cane sugar rather than corn syrup in the U.S., but the company did not commit to the change when asked about it by NBC News. Marshall said he suspects the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer could have something to do with changes in people's gut microbiomes — the bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tracts. Diet, antibiotic use, microplastics and exposure to environmental chemicals likely all influence a person's gut bacteria, but scientists still don't have a clear understanding of what a healthy microbiome looks like nor how it affects our health. That is a booming area of research. Ng's review also found that 15% to 30% of people with early-onset gastrointestinal cancer carry hereditary genetic mutations that may have predisposed them to getting cancer at a young age. Because of that, she said, 'we do recommend that all young patients diagnosed under the age of 50 undergo testing for hereditary conditions.' Overall survival rates for gastrointestinal cancers have gotten better over time, due to improvements in treatment and screening. But Ng's review found that younger patients often have worse outcomes, despite typically receiving more treatments, including more surgery, radiation and aggressive combinations of chemotherapy, she said. One reason could be that primary care doctors may overlook symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, heartburn or reflux in younger patients, thereby delaying their diagnoses. 'My personal feeling is that it's because we're finding them at a more advanced stage, because people don't really think of colon or other GI cancers when they see a young person with these nonspecific complaints,' said Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey. But Ng said that even after controlling for the stage at which patients are diagnosed, young people still seem to have worse survival rates. 'This makes us wonder as researchers whether that means that the cancers that develop in younger people may be biologically different and more aggressive, or maybe less responsive to treatment,' she said.
NBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- NBC News
Gastrointestinal cancers rising dramatically in people under 50
Gastrointestinal cancers, which include colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancer, are rising dramatically in younger adults, though doctors aren't fully sure why. Even some of the possible causes require more research, they say. According to a review published Thursday in JAMA, gastrointestinal cancers have become the fastest-growing type of cancers diagnosed in adults younger than 50 in the U.S.. The review, one of the most comprehensive looks at gastrointestinal cancer trends, summarized the findings of major international and U.S. cancer databases, plus 115 papers on gastrointestinal cancers published from January 2014 to March 2025. The authors underscore the need for people to follow the screening guidelines for colorectal cancer, which suggest that people with an average risk start screening — usually a colonoscopy or stool test — at age 45. Since doctors don't routinely screen for pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers in the U.S., the authors also call for new ways to screen more people for these cancers. 'This really points to the importance of trying to improve screening and early detection,' said Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. According to the review, colorectal cancer is by far the most common early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, with nearly 185,000 cases reported worldwide in 2022 and nearly 21,000 cases reported that same year in the U.S. Diagnoses in the U.S. have risen 2% annually in people younger than 50 since 2011, according to the American Cancer Society. 'It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20, 30 and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer,' said Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who was not involved in the research. In one of the most high-profile examples, actor Chadwick Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and passed away of the disease four years later at age 43. Early-onset cases of pancreatic, stomach and esophageal cancers are also rising, according to the new study. Previous research has shown a disproportionate share of those gastrointestinal cancer diagnoses were among Black and Hispanic people. Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest forms of cancer, with just 13% of patients surviving five years after their diagnosis. Because colorectal cancer is the most common, doctors said they have a better grasp of what might be contributing to these early-onset cases compared to others. 'If we can understand what's going on in colorectal [cancer], I think it would really provide a lot of guidance to help us understand the other GI tract cancers,' said Dr. Scott Kopetz, a professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Kopetz said there are likely multiple factors driving the increase in early-onset cases. 'The leading theory is that there is no single leading theory,' he said. Ng's new review in JAMA suggests that most gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50 are associated with lifestyle factors such as obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet, cigarette smoking or alcohol consumption. One study included in the review found that women who consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages during adolescence had a higher risk of developing early onset colorectal cancer. 'It's really what people were doing or exposed to when they were infants, children, adolescents that is probably contributing to their risk of developing cancer as a young adult,' Ng said. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been vocal about the association between sugary beverages and health issues, including cancer. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola will start being made with cane sugar rather than corn syrup in the U.S., but the company did not commit to the change when asked about it by NBC News. Marshall said he suspects the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer could have something to do with changes in people's gut microbiomes — the bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tracts. Diet, antibiotic use, microplastics and exposure to environmental chemicals likely all influence a person's gut bacteria, but scientists still don't have a clear understanding of what a healthy microbiome looks like nor how it affects our health. That is a booming area of research. Ng's review also found that 15% to 30% of people with early-onset gastrointestinal cancer carry hereditary genetic mutations that may have predisposed them to getting cancer at a young age. Because of that, she said, 'we do recommend that all young patients diagnosed under the age of 50 undergo testing for hereditary conditions.' Overall survival rates for gastrointestinal cancers have gotten better over time, due to improvements in treatment and screening. But Ng's review found that younger patients often have worse outcomes, despite typically receiving more treatments, including more surgery, radiation and aggressive combinations of chemotherapy, she said. One reason could be that primary care doctors may overlook symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, heartburn or reflux in younger patients, thereby delaying their diagnoses. 'My personal feeling is that it's because we're finding them at a more advanced stage, because people don't really think of colon or other GI cancers when they see a young person with these non-specific complaints,' said Dr. Howard Hochster, director of gastrointestinal oncology at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey. But Ng said that even after controlling for the stage at which patients are diagnosed, young people still seem to have worse survival rates. 'This makes us wonder as researchers whether that means that the cancers that develop in younger people may be biologically different and more aggressive, or maybe less responsive to treatment,' she said.
