AI Summary
The article discusses the rising incidence of early-onset cancer (EOC) diagnosed under the age of 50 globally. This trend is not limited to colorectal cancer (CRC) but also includes various other types of cancer such as bile duct, breast, bone marrow, esophagus, gallbladder, head and neck, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas, and uterine corpus. The increase in EOC cases seems to go beyond improvements in screening methods, suggesting a larger emerging issue of increasing chronic diseases across generations. The article raises the question of whether the rising prevalence of EOC is influenced by genetic factors (nature), environmental factors (nurture), or a combination of both. The implications of this research could lead to a better understanding of the causes of EOC and potentially inform preventive measures and treatment strategies.
The incidence of early-onset cancer (EOC) diagnosed under age 50 has been increasing worldwide,1,2 which is likely a tip of iceberg of larger emerging issues of increasing various chronic diseases across wide generations. While this phenomenon has been first recognized in colorectal cancer (CRC), early-onset cancers in the bile duct, breast, bone marrow, esophagus, gallbladder, head and neck, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas, and uterine corpus have also shown increasing trends, which seem to exceed incidence increases due to enhanced screening.