This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Raymond DuBois about cancer occurring in more adults at younger ages. Dr. DuBois is the Director of Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC, and he is the Executive Director of the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. According to the latest research, the risk of certain cancers is increasing at younger ages in the adult years. Doctor Raymond DuBois is here to provide the details. Doctor DuBois is the Director of Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC, and he's also Executive Director of the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. Doctor DuBois, give us a brief update about what the latest research indicates regarding a heightened risk of cancer now in younger ages.
Dr. DuBois: So studies from around the world indicate that the rates of more than a dozen cancers are increasing in adults under the age of 50. This rise is concerning, but it varies from country to country and from cancer to cancer. But models based on this global data predict that the number of early onset cancer cases will increase by around 30% between 2019 and 2030. So, this is a big concern. In the United States, colorectal cancer, which typically strikes men in their mid 60s or older, has become the leading cause of cancer death among men under 50. In young women, it has become the second leading cause of cancer death in women under 50.
Conner: Which other types of cancer in addition to colorectal cancer seem to be on the increase in the younger adult years?
Dr. DuBois: Well, in the United States, uterine cancer has increased by 2% each year since the mid 1990s, and then early onset breast cancer has increased by 3.8% per year in the years between 2016 and 2019. And if you look at the years between 1990 and 2019, there are 29 cancers that have increased, including breast, lung and colorectal. These have increased worldwide in people under the age of 50, particularly in women.
Conner: Doctor DuBois, do we know why this trend is happening, not just in the US but other places around the world?
Dr. DuBois: We don't know exactly why, but there are some hypotheses out there. One is that the increasing incidence of obesity and poor diet habits in the younger population have led to this. But it's more than just that, because if you look at the research, there are other factors in play, and it's probably a combination of many factors. And then there are probably some genetic changes in these early cancers that are playing a role, but that hasn't all been clarified yet.
Conner: And are the alarm bells ringing in the research world related to cancer and many more studies with this new information?
Dr. DuBois: So yes, there's a lot more activity in the research field. They are looking at links between inflammation in the intestine and cancer and some of these other types of cancer as well. But nobody has really pinned down precisely what's going on. And it's a hard problem to study because you would have to look at these individuals very early in their life and try to see if you measure certain things, how those change and then, moreover, how they correlate with incidents of cancer. It is a big deal. But we do need more funding for this research because, you know, most people just study the older onset cancers. And, I think we're going to have to do something differently if we really want to untangle what's going on in these younger individuals.
Conner: Doctor DuBois, thanks for this update about cancer risks.
Dr. DuBois: Thank you Bobbi.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
