• Posted May 9, 2025

Some Cancers Increasing in People Under 50, New Report Shows

FRIDAY, May 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More young adults in the U.S. are being diagnosed with cancer, and researchers are trying to figure out why.

A new government report shows that rates of several types of cancer are going up in people under age 50, especially among women. 

The study, led by scientists at the National Cancer Institute, looked at more than 2 million cancer cases in people ages 15 to 49 between 2010 and 2019.

Of the 33 types of cancer considered, 14 showed rising rates in at least one younger age group. About 63% of these early-onset cancers were found in women, The Associated Press reported.

“These kinds of patterns generally reflect something profound going on,” Tim Rebbeck of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said. “We need to fund research that will help us understand.”

The results were published May 8 in the journal Cancer Discovery.

The biggest increase was in breast cancer, which had about 4,800 more cases in 2019 than expected based on 2010 rates. Colon cancer had about 2,000 more cases, kidney cancer had 1,800 and uterine cancer had 1,200.

Most cancer death rates in tthe 15- to 49-year-old age group did not rise. But researchers did see an increase in deaths from colon, uterine and testicular cancers, AP said.

Experts don’t yet know exactly what’s causing these trends. The databases studied didn’t include information on lifestyle risks or access to care.

“Several of these cancer types are known to be associated with excess body weight and so one of the leading hypotheses is increasing rates of obesity,” said lead author Meredith Shiels of the National Cancer Institute.

Not all cancers are on the rise, however. Rates of more than a dozen cancer types actually dropped in people under 50. The biggest decreases were seen in lung and prostate cancer.

Experts say fewer people smoking likely helped lower lung cancer rates. And changes in testing guidelines may explain the drop in prostate cancer among younger men, AP reported.

More information

The National Cancer Institute has more on tests and procedures used to diagnose cancer.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, May 8, 2025