Cancer rates are rising in young people, but how worried should we be?

New cases of cancer have been rising among younger people, worrying patients and doctors about causes.

New cases of cancer have been rising among younger people, worrying patients and doctors about causes. A new study suggests increasing numbers of cases of early onset cancer are largely due to improved and more routine screening, while mortality rates among younger people haven’t changed.

The study, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, compared rates of new diagnoses over the past three decades to mortality rates of the fastest-rising cancers in adults under 50.

Of the eight cancers the research team studied, only two, colorectal and endometrial, showed increases in deaths. Other cancers included thyroid, anal, pancreatic, kidney, myeloma and small intestine. While breast and kidney cancers have increased in incidence, the mortality rates across all age groups have decreased in recent years.

In fact, invasive breast cancer has been increasing faster in women under 50 than women over 50, at around a 1.4% increase per year from 2012 to 2021, according to the American Cancer Society. Similarly, colorectal cancer rates increased 2.4% per year in adults under 50 years and by 0.4% in adults 50-64 from 2012 to 2021. However, deaths have been halved for both because of earlier detection and improved treatment such as immunotherapies.

Advances in screening technology and recommended screening at younger ages have allowed doctors to detect tumors at their earliest stages, including cases that may not ever negatively affect a person’s health.