By Bill Piersol Thursday, January 16, 2025
It’s a disturbing mystery that has drawn the attention of investigators from across Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
Why are a growing number of young people under 50 being diagnosed with over a dozen forms of cancer around the world? This trend is especially worrying in women, according to statistics released in January 2025 by the American Cancer Society, which found that cancer incidence rates “in women under 50 are now 82% higher than their male counterparts, up from 51% in 2002.” This nationwide concern is a Time magazine cover story, “The Race to Explain Why More Young Adults Are Getting Cancer,” which features MSK patients and experts.
Types of Cancers Becoming More Common in Young People
Men and women in the prime of their lives are increasingly being diagnosed with serious cancers, including colorectal, breast, prostate, uterine, stomach (gastric), pancreatic, and more. One forecast predicts cancer for this age group will increase by 30% globally from 2019 to 2030.
“This is serious and worrisome,” says Shari Goldfarb, MD, breast oncologist and Director of MSK’s Young Women With Breast Cancer program.
“This is not a blip,” explains Andrea Cercek, MD, gastrointestinal oncologist and Co-Director of The Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer. “The more data we gather, the clearer this becomes.”
MSK is a pioneer in caring for the specific needs of people facing what are often called early-onset cancers, who confront very different challenges than older adults. In addition to centers focused on breast cancer, colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer, MSK established the Lisa and Scott Stuart Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers. The coming surge in cases is a key reason MSK is building a new state-of-the-art hospital, called the MSK Pavilion.
Just as importantly, MSK experts are leading the investigation into why this is happening.
Source: https://www.mskcc.org/news/why-is-cancer-rising-among-young-adults