BMJ Oncology: The incidence of cancer among people under 50 has increased by 80%
An international team of researchers led by specialists from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou (China) found that people under 50 years of age have become much more likely to get cancer – over the past 30 years, the number of “young” cancer patients has increased by 80%. According to forecasts, by 2030 their number will grow by another 31%. The work of scientists was presented in an article published by the journal BMJ Oncology.
The authors analyzed data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) large survey on 29 cancers worldwide. The results showed that in 1990 the number of cancer cases was 1.8 million, by 2019 it increased to 3.2 million, the number of deaths also increased by 27%.
Among the most common types of cancer, researchers note breast cancer in women, cancer of the trachea, lung, stomach and intestines. The sharpest increase in mortality was observed among people with kidney or ovarian cancer.
However, experts could not determine the exact cause of the increase in the incidence. One of the theories put forward by scientists says that poor nutrition, alcohol consumption, nicotine addiction, lack of physical activity and obesity can be among the factors that provoke the development of the disease.