Young Cancer Patients Are Increasing, Studies Express The Cause

JAKARTA - Cancer before the age of 50 is still rare, but now cases are increasing. This incident finally led researchers to find out the cause.

A recent study conducted by US researchers analyzed more than 2 million cancer cases diagnosed in people aged 15 to 49, between 2010 and 2019.

Through this study, it was found that 14 out of 33 types of cancer increased at a young age. The largest increase occurred in breast cancer, colorectal, kidney, and uterus.

Breast cancer is the most common number of cancers, about 4,800 additional cases than expected. In addition, there are more than 2,000 cases of collorectal cancer compared to those estimated based on 2010 figures.

Researchers have revealed that the increase in several types of cancer is related to being overweight. Obesity is the main hypothesis that causes cancer at a young age in recent years.

"Some of these types of cancer are known to be associated with overweight, so one of the main hypotheses is the increasing number of obesity," said study lead authordok Shiels, quoted by APNews, on Sunday, May 11, 2025.

Several other factors that are said to be the cause of the increase in cancer at a young age are progress in cancer detection, and changes in screening guidelines that are said to be the trigger.

For breast cancer, the tendency of many women to have their first child at a young age in recent years is said to be one of the factors.

However, keep in mind that not all cancers occur at a young age. Some types of cancer such as lung cancer and prostate cancer still occur in those aged 50 years and over.