The American Cancer Society (A.C.S) reported last month, that deaths in the US from cancer have dropped by around a third over the past three decades but remains the second leading cause of death in people younger than 85. On the other hand, cancer rates for many common cancers are rising especially among women under 50 (so-called early-onset cancer), as well as among women aged between 50 and 64.
Six of the 10 most common cancers are on the rise, including cancers of the breast and the uterus. Also increasing are colorectal cancers among people under 65, as well as prostate cancer, melanoma and pancreatic cancer. “These unfavorable trends are tipped toward women,” said Rebecca L. Siegel, an epidemiologist with the ACS and the report’s first author. “Of all the cancers that are increasing, some are increasing in men, but it’s lopsided — more of this increase is happening in women.”
Two other troubling trends are outlined in the report. One is an increase in new cases of cervical cancer — a disease widely viewed as preventable in the United States — among women 30 to 44. The other trend started in 2021 when, for the first time, lung cancer incidence in women under 65 surpassed the incidence in men: 15.7 cases per 100,000 women under 65, compared with 15.4 per 100,000 in men.
Alarming racial disparities in cancer mortality also persist. American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from cancers of the cervix, kidney, liver, and stomach compared to white Americans. Black people are 2 times more likely to die from prostate, stomach, and uterine cancer than white Americans. Breast cancer rates have also been inching up for many years, the sharpest rise has been seen in women under 50, and there have been steep increases among Hispanic American, Asian American and Pacific Islander women.
Pancreatic cancer has been increasing in incidence among both men and women for decades. It is now the third leading cause of cancer death. As with many other cancers, obesity is believed to contribute. Death rates are also rising for liver cancer among women, and for cancers of the oral cavity for both sexes.
Some experts are beginning to acknowledge that environmental exposures may be contributing to early-onset cancer, in addition to the usual suspects: lifestyle, genetics, excess body weight and family history.
