Some experts suggested that part of this rise might be attributed to a growing population. However, prior research has also hinted that cancer diagnoses are becoming more prevalent in this age group, and the exact reasons behind this trend remain unclear.
From Barrons:
The international team of researchers behind the new study pointed to poor diet, smoking and alcohol as major risk factors underlying cancer in the age group.
But "the increasing trend of early-onset cancer burden is still unclear," they added.
A little over one million people under 50 died of cancer in 2019, up 28 percent from 1990, the study said.
The deadliest cancers were breast, windpipe, lung, bowel and stomach cancers, according to the study.
Breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed over the three decades.
But the cancers that rose the fastest were of the nasopharynx, where the back of the nose meets the top of the throat, and prostate.
Liver cancer meanwhile fell by 2.9 percent a year.
The researchers used data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, analysing the rates of 29 different cancers in 204 countries.
The more developed the country, the more likely it was to have a higher rate of under-50s diagnosed with cancer, the study said.
This could suggest that wealthier countries with better healthcare systems catch cancer earlier, but only a few nations screen for certain cancers in people under 50, the study added.
As well as poor diet, smoking and drinking, genetic factors, physical inactivity and obesity could also contribute to the trend, the study said.
It's intriguing that in wealthier and more developed countries, cancer appears to be more common. This is unusual, considering that Westernized nations are often associated with having the best medical care.
Clearly, some toxic factor is affecting our bodies, and hopefully, researchers can pinpoint what is causing this significant increase in cancer cases among young people.
