Share:
Oncology More and more teenage cancers
People are getting older and older around the world. Above all, life expectancy in western industrialized countries is rising. This also increases the number of cancers, as this disease is more common in older people. But apparently more and more younger people are suffering from cancer, as a study shows.
Number of cancer cases is increasing worldwide
The World Cancer Report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has warned against an increase in cancer. According to the experts, it could reach 20 million new cases annually by the year 2025. Also in Germany there are more and more cancers. The number of new cases has almost doubled in this country since 1970. The main reason for the rise in cancer worldwide is rising life expectancy - cancer is more common in older people.
With age, the risk of developing cancer increases. However, a new study has shown that more and more young people are getting cancer. (Image: Photographee.eu/fotolia.com) More and more teenagers with cancer
According to World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts, 21.6 million new cases of cancer are expected worldwide by 2030. In 2012 it was 14 million. The deaths from cancer are also expected to increase from 8.2 to 13 million annually.
Although cancer is more common in old age, however, scientific studies have shown that more and more young people are suffering from cancer.
For example, experts in the UK also recently reported on an evaluation that showed that new childhood cancer increases dramatically in children.
And a long-term study by the Department of Public Health and the Lowell Center of Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts (USA) now showed an increase in cancer among teenagers aged 15 to 19 of more than 25 percent.
The scientists published their findings in the journal "PLOS ONE".
Highest increase in lymph node cancer
To reach their conclusions, the research team of Jessica Burkhammer, David Kriebel and Richard Clapp evaluated data from the SEER Cancer Registry.
As reported by the German Foundation for Young Adults with Cancer on its website, the scientists observed over the period from 1975 to 2012 an increase in diagnosed diseases of more than 25 percent (annual 0.67 percent increase for young men and 0.62 percent for young women).
The development is therefore different for individual diagnoses. The highest annual increases in lymph node cancer (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), 2.16 percent for males and 1.38 percent for young women, were observed.
This was followed by thyroid cancer (plus 2.12 percent annually in young women, plus 1.59 percent in young men), acute bone marrow leukemia in young women (plus 1.73 percent annually) and testicular cancer (plus 1.55 percent annually) , Hodgkin's disease decreased over the observed period in both sexes.
Small comparable investigations from Germany
The cause of the changes is unclear. In thyroid cancer, better diagnostic methods may play a role.
Because of the steady increase over all years, however, the authors consider a general explanation by methodological changes in medicine to be unlikely and discuss, among other things, environmental influences.
There are no comparable studies from Germany. "We have a regrettable deficit here. The data released from the USA should also lead to increased research efforts in Germany, "said Prof. Dr. med. med. Mathias Freund, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the German Foundation for Young Adults with Cancer.
The authors of the US study emphasized the importance of identifying causes for the rise of teenage cancers for society. (Ad)