Fiona So’s story is a stark reminder of the alarming trend in cancer rates among younger generations.
At a time when she should be in her prime, Fiona is battling liver cancer, one of the fastest-rising early-onset cancers.
A disturbing shift is underway – cancers that were once more prevalent in older people are now affecting younger people in higher and higher rates.
This increased risk will likely follow Gen X and millennials for the rest of their lives.
Remember the COVID-19 pandemic and how we talked about bending the curve? This trend is going to be a very hard one to bend, but it’s not a hopeless task.
There are ways to change the steep cancer trajectories that these generations might be on.
Age Counts in Cancer
To understand what we can do, it helps to have a clearer idea of the new challenges we’re facing.
What hasn’t changed is that increasing age is still the major risk factor for cancer. The older you are, the more likely you are to develop cancer.
This is thought to be due to the time needed for the multiple genetic mutations that transform a healthy cell into a malignant one. So, in crude numbers, most people with cancer are older.
The Scary Rise in Cancer Rates Among Younger People
What has changed is a dizzying and scary increase in the rates of cancer in the under 50s.
It’s happening in at least 10 different types of cancer, and it’s not just an Australian phenomenon – US research using large datasets found rises in about half the cancers they record in their cancer registries.
The actual numbers of young people with cancer are still low relative to older people, but they’re unlikely to stay low. The upward trajectory we’re hoping to bend will likely rise inexorably as Gen X and millennials age.
The Cohort Effect
This is due to what’s called the cohort effect. If researchers are right, the rise in younger adults will get worse as it’s compounded by the effects of aging.
One of the US’s leading cancer biostatisticians, Philip Rosenberg, says what he’s seeing is “astonishing”.
“If things stay on their current trajectories, then we can expect that they would continue to experience those proportionate increases as they get older,” Rosenberg warns.
Rates of cancer for people born in the 70s could be double those born in the 50s.
It’s a daunting prospect, but there are ways to change the course – through screening at younger ages, earlier detection, and more assertive preventive strategies by governments and regulators.