Breast cancer is nearly twice as common in women under 50 compared to men.

Researchers have repeatedly highlighted the phenomenon of "younger" cancer. In one study, investigators found that there is a significant increase in colorectal cancer cases among children and adolescents. In another study, epidemiologists from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville (USA) reported that Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) is more susceptible to cancer than baby boomers, "silent" and "great" generations. Furthermore, a recent article linked this trend to accelerated biological aging in individuals from later generations.

A new study, in which doctors characterized the current cancer situation in the United States and shared projections for 2025, was published in the journal of the American Cancer Society (American Cancer Society, ACS).

Experts believe that by 2025, the country will report over two million new cancer cases and more than 618 thousand cancer-related deaths. Despite these alarming figures, statistics indicate a decline in cancer mortality rates. According to ACS, nearly 4.5 million deaths have been prevented since 1991 due to reduced smoking, earlier detection of certain cancer types, and improved treatment methods.

However, concerning trends persist. In particular, American Indians and Alaska Natives are two to three times more likely to die from cervical, kidney, liver, and stomach cancers compared to white Americans. Among the Black population, mortality rates for prostate, stomach, and uterine cancers are twice as high.

Additionally, malignant tumors are being diagnosed at increasingly younger ages among American women: rates are rising both in the under-50 age group and among women aged 50 to 64. The accelerated rates among women under 50 had been noted previously, but the current difference has nearly doubled. In 2021, the cancer incidence rate in this age group of women was 82% higher than in men, whereas in 2002, the excess was 51%.

The increase is primarily driven by rising breast and thyroid cancer rates among women. Moreover, in 2021, women under 65 surpassed men of the same age in lung cancer cases for the first time.

In conclusion, the authors of the report noted that while cancer mortality continues to decline, further progress in this area is threatened by disparities in incidence among certain ethnic groups and the emergence of oncological conditions at younger ages, particularly among women.

“To further improve outcomes, investments in cancer prevention and equitable access to treatment will be required, especially for Native Americans and Black individuals,” the researchers stated.

Earlier, an international team of scientists analyzed data on 36 types of cancer across 185 countries and concluded that the number of deaths from such diseases will double in the next 25 years.