Latest news with #gastrointestinalcancers
Gizmodo
5 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
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Gastrointestinal cancer is the fastest-growing early-onset cancer in the US, research shows
A new review has identified a dramatic increase in early-onset gastrointestinal cancers among people under 50 in the US. Colorectal cancer was the most common early-onset gastrointestinal cancer in 2022, with over 20,800 diagnoses. The rise in these cancers is largely attributed to modifiable risk factors, including obesity, poor diet, inactive lifestyles, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The prognosis for early-onset gastrointestinal cancers is similar to or worse than later-onset cases, underscoring the need for improved prevention and early detection. The American Cancer Society now recommends regular colorectal cancer screening from the age of 45, a reduction from the previous age of 50. Dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
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. There has been a dramatic rise in gastrointestinal cancers in people under the age of 50, according to a new review (Getty Images) 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.
The Independent
6 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.
