Millennials and Gen X at Higher Risk for 17 Types of Cancers: Study

A new study from Lancet Public Health found that millennials and Gen X’ers are at higher risk for colorectal cancer and 16 other types

Cancer is on the rise in young people and a new study from the Lancet Public Health revealed that millennials and Gen X’ers are at higher risk for 17 types of cancer.

According to the study published July 31, millennials and Gen X’ers are at higher risk than previous generations for cancers that include colorectal, uterine, gallbladder and ovary cancers. The rate of these particular cancers declined for decades, but are back on the rise in this younger generation.

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The data looked specifically at 34 types of cancers across 24 million diagnoses and 7 million deaths in people born between 1920 and 1990.

Out of the 34 cancers studied, 17 of them saw an increase of diagnosis in a younger demographic than in the older generations. For people born in 1990, the risk of developing pancreatic, kidney and small intestine cancers was two to three times higher than for those born in 1955.

“What is happening in these generations can be considered a bellwether for future cancer trends,” cancer epidemiologist Hyuna Sung, cancer epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society (ACS) told NBC News. “Although many cancer rates are rising, we don’t necessarily see this increase in mortality because we are treating them a lot better than before."

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The study also found that the fastest-growing cancer in diagnosis and mortality rate is endometrial cancer, which Sung had called a “sobering finding” in the study. But despite that, the study did find an “accelerated downturn” in the rates of cervical cancer, thanks to the HPV vaccination rates in women born in the 90’s.

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Earlier this year, it was projected that the United States would be expected to see 2 million cases of cancer after the ACS shared their annual report on cancer statistics that showed the rising rates of cancer in people under 50.

“As a nation, we’ve dropped the ball on cancer prevention,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the ACS and lead author of the report. “Incidence continues to increase for many common cancers – like breast, prostate, and endometrial, as well as colorectal and cervical cancers in some young adults.”

Dr. Andrea Cercek, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist and co-director of the Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancers at Memorial Sloan Kettering told CNN that the “this rise [in these cancers] is potentially due to changes in the environment or lifestyle.”

Researchers also found that the increase of several of these cancers can be directly linked to the increased obesity rate in young people.

“It is not known why these cancers, such as gastrointestinal cancers, gynecologic cancers, and ER-positive breast cancers, are rising in incidence in young adults,” Dr. Cercek continued. “But we believe this rise is likely due to early exposure to an environmental factor or factors.”

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