What explains increase in cancer cases among young people?

Certain cancers that were once mostly diagnosed in older adults are now being identified more frequently in people under 50, Euronews writes.

A U.S. government study published earlier this year examined more than two million cases diagnosed in people aged 15 to 49 between 2010 and 2019.

Of 33 cancer types, 14 showed rising rates in at least one younger age group, with around 63 percent of early-onset cases occurring in women.

Another study found that while diagnoses of these cancers have roughly doubled since 1992, mortality rates have remained remarkably stable. This suggests that the rise in reported cases largely reflects increased detection and overdiagnosis, rather than a true surge in life-threatening disease.

For instance, thyroid and kidney cancers have seen dramatic increases in diagnosis without corresponding rises in deaths, indicating that many cases discovered may never have caused harm.

Similarly, early-stage breast cancers in women under 50 have risen, yet mortality has halved over the past three decades due to improvements in treatment rather than a worsening epidemic.

However, some exceptions exist. Colorectal and endometrial cancers have shown small but consistent increases in deaths, indicating a modest rise in clinically meaningful disease, likely linked to factors such as obesity and decreasing rates of hysterectomy.

For most other cancers studied, however, rising incidence appears largely a product of more sensitive detection methods, including screening, imaging, and incidental findings, rather than a true increase in dangerous cancers.