(NewsNation) — An increasing number of Millennials and Gen Xers are being diagnosed with several forms of cancer, according to a new study by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
The study suggests the rates of cancer are rising in younger generations in 17 of the 34 cancer types, including breast, pancreatic and gastric cancers. The research also found that death rates from these cancers also increased in conjunction with the incidence of liver, uterine corpus, gallbladder, testicular and colorectal cancers.
“These findings add to growing evidence of increased cancer risk in post-baby boomer generations, expanding on previous findings of early-onset colorectal cancer and a few obesity-associated cancers to encompass a broader range of cancer types,” said Dr. Hyuna Sung, lead author of the study and a senior principal scientist of surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society.
The study analyzed data from over 23 million patients diagnosed with 34 types of cancer, along with mortality data from 7,348,137 deaths for 25 types of cancer for individuals aged 25–84 years for the period Jan 1, 2000, to Dec 31, 2019.
Researchers found that incidence rates increased with each successive generation born since approximately 1920 for eight of 34 cancers. In particular, the incidence rate was approximately two to three times higher in the 1990 birth cohort than in the 1955 birth cohort for pancreatic, kidney and small intestinal cancers in both male and female individuals.
“The increase in cancer rates among this younger group of people indicate generational shifts in cancer risk and often serve as an early indicator of future cancer burden in the country,” said ACS senior vice president Dr. Ahmedin Jemal.