Gen X and millennials are at higher risk of cancer compared to boomers, finds new study
With changes in lifestyle and environment, the present generation is experiencing more health issues than older people. Millennials and Gen X are reportedly at a higher risk of cancer compared to boomers, per a shocking report published by Lancet Public Health. The study noted that 17 types of cancer are higher among the younger generations compared to those who are in the boomer category. While it is a surprising finding, the study is underway to highlight the factors responsible for the issue, per Newsweek. The study was done with over 23 million people from different age groups of 34 types of cancer.
The findings revealed that 17 types of cancer, including ovarian, colorectal, breast and others, were evidently seen three times higher in millennials and Gen Xers, per TODAY. Even testicular, gall-bladder and gastric cancers were reported more among people born around 1990 than those born around the year 1955. The shocking numbers point towards the fact that younger people are more susceptible to cancer than older generations. Looking at statistics further, millennials and Gen X showed a 12% hike in ovarian cancer diagnosis compared to their boomer counterparts.
There was a 169% hike in uterine cancer for people who are currently between the ages of 26 and 50 years of age. Justin Balko, professor of medicine, hematology and oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, noted, "Based on what we have seen in smaller studies, the rates of cancer incidence, in general, are not surprising,g but perhaps the finding of steadily increasing rates in younger people is more surprising.” However, there are not many factors pointed out yet when it comes to the reason behind the shocking increase. Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the ACS (American Cancer Society), pointed out that obesity could be one factor responsible for cancer.
He explained that changes in lifestyle—lack of exercise and unhealthy consumption of food may have played a role in unusual obesity among younger people, giving a platform for cancer to grow over a prolonged period. Balko added, "It suggests that there are very real exposure risks that we don't fully understand rather than simply aging populations. As for those factors, it's hard to pinpoint what they may be and it is a very complex discussion for each individual tumor type to make hypotheses.” However, he, too, backed the theory of obesity as a possible cause for the chronic disease.
“Understanding the environmental and lifestyle risks such as obesity and whether we can reverse or need to prevent them could have a big impact on slowing this progression,” he noted. Dr. Hyuna Sung, lead study author and scientist at the American Cancer Society, noted that even non-obesity-related issues are responsible for different types of cancer. She explained that there are “social, economic, political and climate environments which affect exposure to cancer risk factors during crucial developmental years."
Dahut shared a caveat, “It’s a reminder that young folks can get cancer.” The doctor added, “If you have abnormal vaginal bleeding, persistent abdominal pain, weight loss or swollen lymph nodes, you shouldn’t take a doctor’s word that you are too young to get cancer as the truth. Go find another doctor. Be an advocate for yourself.”