A new comprehensive study conducted by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) has revealed that Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and millennials (born between the mid-1980s and early 2000s) have a higher risk of developing 17 types of cancer compared to previous generations. This alarming data highlights an increased risk for various types of cancer, including breast, pancreatic, and stomach cancers.
Furthermore, not only has the number of cases increased, but mortality rates have also risen, particularly for liver cancer (in women), uterine cancer, gallbladder cancer, testicular cancer, and colorectal cancer.
The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, analyzed data from 23,654,000 patients diagnosed with 34 types of cancer and mortality data (7,348,137 deaths from 25 types of cancer) for individuals aged 25 to 84 years from U.S. cancer registries. The study found that incidence rates have increased for every successive birth cohort since 1920 for eight of the 34 types of cancer.
Notably, the incidence rate was about two to three times higher in the 1990 birth cohort compared to the 1955 birth cohort for pancreatic, kidney, and small intestine cancers in both males and females.
In June, a study in the Jama Network Open reported a growing trend in cancer rates among Generation X and Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964). The latest study shows that incidence rates have increased in younger cohorts, while decreasing in older birth groups, for nine cancers, including breast cancer, uterine cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer.
For example, the incidence of ovarian cancer among those born in 1990 has increased by 12% compared to the group with the lowest incidence rate, while uterine cancer has seen a 169% increase in incidence. Additionally, mortality rates have increased in younger birth cohorts.
“These findings add to the growing evidence of an increased cancer risk in post-Baby Boomer generations, expanding previous results on obesity-related cancers to include a wider range of cancer types,” says lead author Hyuna Sung. Massimo Di Maio, the president-elect of the Italian Society of Medical Oncology (AIOM), emphasizes the role of lifestyle factors in explaining the rise in cancer risk among younger age groups.
Francesco Cognetti, President of the Federation of Oncologists, Cardiologists, and Hematologists (FOCE), notes that screening data in Italy is improving, although the 90% target set by European institutions for 2025 remains distant. Recent data from the National Screening Observatory shows a 55% participation rate for breast cancer screening in 2023, 34% for colorectal cancer, and 41% for cervical cancer.
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