Young people’s colon cancer crisis is drawing more attention from researchers and raising concerns, but another type of the fatal illness is spreading even more quickly.
Actor Adan Canto died of appendiceal cancer, commonly called appendix cancer, at the age of 42. According to Vanderbilt University researchers, the disease is increasingly more common in persons under 50.
According to a recent study, the risk of contracting cancer is highest among Millennials (those aged 29 to 44), with rates among those in their 30s being up to seven times higher than those in the 1940s. These rates are also significantly higher than those of the five other age groups that were included in the study.
According to the researchers, despite the increase, only about 3,000 cases of the cancer are detected annually in the US, making it incredibly rare.
Although the exact number of deaths from the illness is unknown, officials estimate that between 67 and 97 percent of patients survive for more than five years if the illness is detected early.
However, the fact that appendiceal cancer is frequently misdiagnosed in its early stages as other, less serious illnesses like food poisoning or intestinal issues makes it a cause for concern.
Researchers suggested that a new ‘environmental exposure’ that prior generations were not exposed to could be the cause of the cancer’s increased prevalence, albeit it is unclear what exactly caused it.
Researchers examined data from the SEER database, which compiles information on cancer cases in the US, for the study, which was published in The Annals of Internal Medicine.
They divided the 4,858 patients with appendiceal cancer diagnoses from 1975 to 2019 into birth cohorts and extracted their data.
Age differences were taken into consideration while adjusting incidence rates per group.
The rates per 100,000 were then contrasted with those for the midpoint of the birth cohorts, those born between 1941 and 1950.
All things considered, they discovered that Millennials, or those born between 1981 and 1996, had a seven-fold higher chance of receiving a cancer diagnosis than members of the Silent Generation, or those born between 1928 and 1945.
Born between 1965 and 1980, members of Generation X were up to twice as likely to get the cancer.
Additionally, the chance of contracting the condition was up to 118 percent higher for Baby Boomers, or individuals born between 1946 and 1964.
On the other end of the spectrum, those who were born between 1901 and 1927, known as the Greatest Generation, had a chance of contracting the disease during their lifetime that was up to 80% lower.
Researchers wrote in the report: “A birth cohort effect corresponds to population shifts in environmental exposures that may increase risk for generations now entering mid-adulthood.”
“The trends observed in our study may, in part, be explained by a burgeoning recognition over this past decade that appendiceal cancers are a biologically-distinct malignancy from colon adenocarcinomas.”
“Well established risk factors of colon and rectal cancer, including early-life experiences, environmental exposures, anthropometric and lifestyle factors (for example, obesity, diet, alcohol, and tobacco), as well as the interaction between these factors and genetic features may also contribute to appendiceal cancer.”
On the side of the colon is a little pouch called the appendix. Although its precise role is unknown, scientists believe it could support the immune system.
Cells in this organ begin to divide uncontrollably as cancer develops, and early signs like bloating and abdominal pain are frequently written off as digestive issues.
Cancer is frequently discovered only after the appendix is removed by medical professionals who suspect appendicitis, or inflammation of the appendix.
Patients have a 67 to 97 percent chance of living for more than five years if it is detected early. However, survival rates are typically poorer for those whose cancer is not detected until it has spread.
Another patient who has been affected by the cancer is Rebecca Hind, 39, of Cumbria, UK, who was diagnosed with it at the age of 33.
Following a Christmas party at work in 2018, she began to experience significant stomach pain, which she initially attributed to food poisoning.
However, after they continued for eight weeks, she sought medical attention, and the physicians determined that she had cancer.
To combat the malignancy, Hind has had 13 organ removal procedures, over eight exhausting rounds of chemotherapy, and medically induced menopause.
Despite starting from a relatively low base, the increase in appendix cancer rates seems to be more rapid than that of colon cancer, with cases among those aged 30 to 34 years increasing by 71% over the 20 years leading up to 2020.
According to estimates, the number of cases among adults aged 20 to 39 has increased by an average of 2% year.
According to research, the number of colon cancer diagnoses among those aged 20 to 29 in Europe increased by 8% year between 2005 and 2016.
Overall, the number of cases increased by 5% annually among people aged 30 to 39. Additionally, they increased by an average of 2% year among those between the ages of 40 and 49.
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