Over the past three decades, new cancer cases among people under 50 have risen by a "striking" 79 percent, according to new findings published Sept. 5 in BMJ Oncology.
The study is based on data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study for 29 cancers across more than 200 countries. Researchers analyzed trends surrounding new cases, deaths, health consequences and other factors among those aged 14 to 49 to estimate the annual percentage change between 1990 to 2019.
There were a total of 3.26 million new cancer diagnoses among people younger than 50 in 2019, marking a 79 percent jump from 1990. Overall, breast cancer accounted for the highest number of early onset cases in this group. Meanwhile, early onset windpipe and prostate cancers rose fastest over the past three decades. Early-onset cancer deaths (1.06 million) also increased by about 28 percent from 1990.
Researchers estimate that the global number of new cancer cases and associated deaths among younger adults will further increase by 31 percent and 21 percent, respectively, in 2030.
View the full findings here.