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Cancer

More younger people are getting hit with all sorts of different cancers, a new study found — and that has scientists examining various risk factors, from increased obesity to inactivity, to figure out why.

One risk factor mentioned in the new study, published in the journal The Lancet, is "environmental chemicals." That likely includes cancer-triggering microplastics, the Financial Times reports, because they're a relatively recent addition to our environment and so ubiquitous they've even been found in human testicles.

In the Lancet study, researchers led by the American Cancer Society analyzed data taken between 2000 and 2019 from more than 23 million people diagnosed with 35 types of cancer, as well as more than 7 million subjects who died from 25 types of cancer.

From this sea of information, they discovered that the cancer rate was two to three times higher for both men and women born in 1990 versus people born in 1955 for cancers of the small intestine, kidneys and pancreas. In addition, women born in 1990 had a higher rate of getting diagnosed with liver and bile duct cancer.

What's also interesting is that certain cancers — such as breast and colorectal — decreased within cohorts of older people even while younger folks experienced a troubling increase.

"[Seventeen] of 34 cancers had an increasing incidence in younger birth cohorts, including nine that previously had declining incidence in older birth cohorts," the study reads. "These findings add to growing evidence of increased cancer risk in younger generations, highlighting the need to identify and tackle underlying risk factors."

As for the cause, the study suggests that modern risk factors such as obesity, diet and antibiotics may be impacting our bodies in harmful ways, while the addition of "environmental chemicals" adds more physical stress.

In reporting on the study, the Financial Times brought up microplastics as a major suspect for the increased cancer risk among younger people. The evidence is tantalizing if you look at the many recent studies on the biological impact of microplastics, which started appearing in skin and body products in the 1970s.

In one study last year, researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts found that the presence of microplastics can trigger an inflammatory response in human intestinal cells. Such an inflammatory response can lead to diseases like cancer.

With all this new information, perhaps it's time for doctors to call for earlier screenings for certain cancers. Younger folks have a right to know they are living with a hidden threat.

More on microplastics: Microplastics Likely Causing Wave of Cancer in Young People, Doctors Warn


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