In an unsettling grim statistics, the number of new cancer diagnoses among people under 50 years old has surged by a staggering 79% in just three decades. This global health crisis has seen early-onset cancer cases surge from 1.82 million in 1990 to a worrying 3.26 million in 2019. What’s more, deaths among those in their 40s, 30s, or even younger, due to cancer have also seen a 27% increase.
These numbers translate into a heartbreaking fact – every year, more than a million people under 50 lose their battle against cancer.
As the authors of the study explain: “The global incidence of early-onset cancer increased by 79.1%, and the number of early-onset cancer deaths rose by 27.7% between 1990 and 2019. The cancers with the highest mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019 were early-onset breast, tracheal, bronchus, lung, stomach, and colorectal cancers.”
The study, published in BMJ Oncology, suggests that the dramatic rise in cancer incidence could be linked to a combination of factors. These include poor dietary habits, alcohol and tobacco use, a sedentary lifestyle, and obesity.
The report strikes an alarming note: “In a span of three decades, since 1990, the world has witnessed a staggering 79% increase in the incidence and fatality rates of early-onset cancers. The gravity of this situation underscores the pressing need for lifestyle modifications. A balanced diet, curtailed consumption of tobacco and alcohol, along with an emphasis on outdoor physical activities, maybe our best defense in reducing the increasing burden of early-onset cancer.”
Cancer is a global menace. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that it is the second leading cause of death worldwide, causing an estimated 9.6 million deaths or one in six deaths in 2018. The most prevalent cancers in men are lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver, while in women, the most common types are breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, and thyroid cancers.
