The scientific evidence for the appearance of cancer at young ages is alarming. Epidemiological data demonstrate in recent years an increase in the incidence of certain neoplasms in young adults. This mainly concerns neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The change in exposure to specific risk factors such as obesity, smoking, dietary habits and diabetes mellitus over the past two decades has been hypothesized to be responsible for this increase. However, as the doctors of the Therapeutic Clinic (Alexandra Hospital) Theodora Psaltopoulou (Pathologist, Professor of Therapeutic-Epidemiology-Preventive Medicine), Michalis Lions (Assistant Professor of Oncology), and Thanos Dimopoulos (Dr. Dean of the University of Athens, Professor of Therapeutics – Oncology – Hematology, Director of the Therapeutic Clinic), understanding the high-risk groups for the occurrence of these neoplasms among young adults can help in identifying the causative factors and developing methods for early detection of cancer.

In this direction, an important study was recently published in the journal BMC Cancer that investigated the change in the incidence of pancreatic cancer and a range of other neoplasms in adults younger than 35 years of age over the 20-year period 2000-2020. The analysis was based on data available in The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEERS) database where approximately 50% of cancer cases in the United States are recorded.

The analysis first for pancreatic cancer showed that the largest increase in the incidence of the neoplasm occurred in women aged 18-34 years, where the average annual increase in incidence was 6.2%. In this patient group the increase was several times higher than the rate found for the 35-55 age group (1.5%) and for people aged over 55 years (0.6%). In fact, the rate of increase in pancreatic cancer in young women was significantly higher than in young men (4%), highlighting a gender difference.

A greater increase in cancer incidence in young women was also found in other neoplasms such as stomach cancer, colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma. This change was specific to these particular neoplasms and not in the context of a general increase in cancer in young women, as no such changes were found in all neoplasms or in neoplasms affecting only women (breast cancer, ovarian cancer, etc.).

Trying to further understand the effect of racial difference in the increase in incidence of specific cancers in young adults, the researchers studied the change in age subgroups. In pancreatic and colorectal cancer, the largest increase was seen in women aged 18-26 years, while in stomach cancer and multiple myeloma in the 27-34 year old group.

“Therefore, the above data clearly demonstrate racial differentiation in the incidence of a range of neoplasms in young adults. These data highlight the need to study a number of risk factors in young adults who develop cancer, particularly childhood obesity. Hormonal and genetic factors may also contribute to this difference, but the most important thing based on this knowledge is to develop early diagnosis programs for these cancers in young adults, who are also a high-risk group,” the experts from the HCA emphasize.