Cancer is no longer limited to the elderly. According to a report broadcast by CNN, the world is witnessing a worrying increase in cancer cases among young people in their twenties, thirties, and forties, especially colon and rectal cancer, which has become the second leading cause of cancer death in women under fifty, and is expected to become the leading cause by 2030.
“Dr. Kimmie Ng,” an oncologist at the Dana-Farber Institute and director of a leading center specializing in colon cancer in young people, confirms that this increase remains a mystery, because most new patients are young and healthy, do not suffer from obesity, and do not carry any known genetic mutations.
Cancer in young people
Research points to what is known as the “birth cohort effect,” meaning that people “born after 1990 have 4 times the risk of developing rectal cancer, and more than double the risk of colon cancer compared to the generation born in 1950.” This assumes that there are new environmental factors that have emerged over the past three decades, and are not simply genetic changes.
Current hypotheses include:
- Early changes in the microbiome during childhood.
- Increased obesity-related inflammation.
- Western dietary patterns high in sugars.
- Lack of physical activity.
However, these are just hypotheses, and no causal relationship has been proven between them so far.
A recent study published in the journal “Nature” revealed a mutation associated with a bacterial toxin (“colibactin”), suggesting that factors in early life may cause gradual damage to DNA, which later appears as early cancer. To prevent cancer, “colon screening should begin at age 45 for all adults,” and “at-home stool tests are an effective option for early diagnosis.”
The serious symptoms that require immediate attention:
- Blood mixed with stool.
- Sudden changes in bowel movement habits.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Persistent abdominal pain.
- Unexplained anemia.
“Dr. Ng” concluded her warning by emphasizing that ignoring intestinal symptoms can be fatal.
