Cancer In Youths Now A Growing Problem, Multiple Factors Cited

Cancer is one of the dreaded diseases that has been plaguing people. However, the number of cases tied to young people has been noticeably rising, something noticed in 1990.

According to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, the most frequent oncological pathologies were that of the esophagus, kidney, liver, pancreas and breast cancer. From that list, it seems obvious that these are related to the digestive system.

However, there is a greater proliferation found, particularly between the years 2000 and 2012. As far as young people are concerned, these are believed to be in the birth cohort effect.

Shuji Ogino, MD, Ph.D., a professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, explains a scenario where each successive group of people born at a later time is at an increased risk of developing cancer later in life.

“We found that this risk increases with each generation. For example, people born in 1960 experienced a higher risk of cancer before their 50th birthday than people born in 1950, and we predict that this level of risk will continue to increase in successive generations," Ogino stated.

In young people, cancer at an early age may be tied to their kind of lifestyle. Health entities in the Americas have always reiterated how healthy lifestyle habits can help prevent dealing with unwanted cancer cases. Among the common risk factors, as enumerated by the World Health Organization (WHO), include: