Are cancers under 50 rising in the US?
In 562,145 early-onset SEER cases (2010–2019), overall incidence rose (APC 0.28%), led by gastrointestinal cancers (APC 2.16%), while ≥50 incidence fell.
Source
Patterns in Cancer Incidence Among People Younger Than 50 Years in the US, 2010 to 2019
Inspect source passages
Are cancers under 50 rising in the US?
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
562,145 early-onset cancer patients analyzed.
Among 562 145 patients (324 138 [57.7%] aged 40-49 years; 351 120 [62.5%] female) with early-onset cancer
Overall early-onset APC 0.28%.
the age-standardized incidence rate of early-onset cancers increased overall (APC, 0.28%; 95% CI, 0.09%-0.47%; P = .01)
What they did
Used SEER registries to compute age-standardized incidence rates and Joinpoint APCs for cancers diagnosed before age 50 from 2010 to 2019, contrasting sex and site patterns and older-adult trends.
What they found
Early-onset incidence increased overall and in females but decreased in males; cancers ≥50 declined (APC −0.87%). Breast had the most 2019 early-onset cases (n=12,649). GI cancers grew fastest (APC 2.16%), especially appendix (15.61%), intrahepatic bile duct (8.12%), and pancreas (2.53%).
The limits
What it doesn't show
Incidence trends do not identify causes (screening, risk factors, coding); APC ≠ individual risk prediction.
Key terms
- Early-onset cancer
- Cancer diagnosed before age 50 in this study.
- SEER
- US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries.
- APC
- Annual percentage change in age-standardized incidence.
- Joinpoint regression
- Method used to estimate incidence trend APCs.
- Age-standardized rate
- Incidence adjusted to a standard age structure for comparison.
Flashcards
0 of 8 answers reviewed
Research intelligence for this paper
See its role on concept claims, tensions it is part of, placement history, and related discoveries.
Quiz yourself
Early-onset cases in the cohort:
Common questions
How many early-onset cases?
562,145 (2010–2019).
Overall APC?
0.28% (95% CI 0.09–0.47).
Fastest group?
Gastrointestinal cancers (APC 2.16%).
Most 2019 cases site?
Breast (n=12,649).