The incidence of six types of cancer is increasing in young adults in many countries around the world

The study by Berrington de Gonzalez et al. evaluated changes in incidence—that is, the frequency of diagnosis—of different types of cancer in 42 countries around the world between 2003 and 2017. To do this, they used the GLOBOCAN database, which includes a large amount of diagnostic data and represents countries on five continents. The study was unique in that it assessed whether this incidence changed equally in young people between the ages of 20 and 49 compared to those over 50.

The study clearly concludes that the incidence of cancer is increasing, particularly in six subtypes of cancer among younger people. Colon, breast, endometrial, thyroid, kidney, and leukemia (a type of hematological tumor) cancers have shown an increase in annual incidence, which, in the case of thyroid cancer, is a 3.57% increase each year. However, there is also a similar increase in diagnoses among older people, except for colorectal cancer, where the increase is clearly greater among younger people.

This has important social, health, and demographic consequences. Managing a cancer diagnosis among younger people has an impact on their social, personal, and family development, with consequences that also include an increase in late toxicities. Health administrations will have to adapt and propose development programs to establish strategies both for managing this younger population, given that it has more specific needs, and for subsequent monitoring and control of late toxicities. Recently, the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology, in collaboration with multiple societies such as those of Primary Care, Radiotherapy, Cardiology, and Hematology, has developed a consensus document to guide professionals in the control and follow-up of long-term survivors in this age group.