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Why is cancer so common now

281 replies

KingKitty · 02/04/2025 20:54

I know 4 people all under 45 who died of cancer within the past three years. It's so so so so sad. They are just so so so young. I am just after hearing of another person with cancer all over her body.

.Why is cancer so common now and why is it taking people even young people?

It's so scary.

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doodahdayy · 03/04/2025 01:43

Kirbert2 · 03/04/2025 01:29

My son was diagnosed with cancer last year just 3 months after his 8th birthday. If he had the same diagnosis in the 80's, his prognosis would've been incredibly poor. Thanks to cancer research, newer chemotherapy drugs since the 80's and trials such as immunotherapy, he has a 90% chance that he will stay in remission.

The chance of survival is so much higher now, social media makes it so easy for people to share their stories and meet others in the same position etc so it feels like it is common.

Wishing your little boy all the best x

Tbrh · 03/04/2025 01:51

OnTheSick · 02/04/2025 21:06

I honestly think it's the chemicals we eat all the diet, sugar free pumped with artificial sweetners kind of stuff but who knows. I'm trying to not eat as much of these products anyway!

This. Plus chemicals in our clothes, everything we use.

Kirbert2 · 03/04/2025 01:54

doodahdayy · 03/04/2025 01:43

Wishing your little boy all the best x

Thank you. He's had a very tough time of it and was actually only discharged at the start of the new year but he's doing really well, 6 months in remission now. 😊

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Topsyturvy78 · 03/04/2025 01:58

I've heard childhood cancer is common in children conceived through IVF.

tamade · 03/04/2025 02:04

Talkinpeace · 02/04/2025 21:24

1 in 2 should not be getting cancer.
Why not ?
Cancer is normal cell division carried to extremes.
People used to die before it took effect.
Chances are Cancer rates are little changed in history

People in the UK used to die in their 20s, 30s so could not get cancer in their 30s and 40s. So what were they dying of that has suddnly been fixed in the last decade or so, pneumonia, TB, manflu?

Helpforthosethatneedit · 03/04/2025 02:23

rosemole · 02/04/2025 21:31

It may be “normal” in that sense, but only in older people. Healthy adults in their 30s and 40s who are otherwise fit and healthy? That’s what’s been rising and that’s what we need answers to.

My grandmother had some pains and weight loss and died suddenly in her 30s. It's only when my auntie got diagnosed with cancer aged 50 after having the same symptoms that she realised her mum died of cancer. Sadly, my auntie also died but lived nearly 20 years after diagnosis. I suspect it's a mix. Better detection. More obesity, sedentary behaviour= more cell division and more chance of mutations leading to cancer. And yes, I know not everyone with cancer is overweight, but from a population point of view it will cause an increase. Those in 30s now are much bigger than people 30 years ago.

GarlicSmile · 03/04/2025 02:24

AquaPeer · 02/04/2025 22:28

This is incredibly interesting, thank you

I would def urge other posters to read it before posting random theories that doesn’t have substance

I read this and the linked studies, plus some other articles including three on the BMJ. They're all talking about increased cancer mortality with sharp increases in younger to middle aged adults.

They're all setting 1990 as a baseline - a "trigger point" if you want to be dramatic. I wondered what all-cause mortality has looked like over that period.

If cancer deaths have increased while other causes stayed much the same, we would see rises in mortality rates (excluding the Covid pandemic, which skyrocketed mortality).

But if people are dying LESS of other causes, that means more people stay alive longer to develop cancer. I found the numbers here: https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-03-21-new-study-highlights-troubling-trends-midlife-mortality-us-and-uk

Mortality has fallen significantly for each group except young American women. They've got a problem.

What this chart shows is simply that people aren't dying as young as they did before 1990. All this hand-wringing may be quite out of place, because our unhealthy lifestyles are actually keeping us healthy for much longer! This could easily mean that we're seeing more cancer because nothing else got to those people first.

This review looks at the troubling upticks in mortality among younger people in the US and UK. The big rises in the USA were largely due to self-inflicted causes, notably drugs, and we might be following suit. Other interesting issues were raised, if you fancy reading it. It's short.

This does suggest, however, that if young people carry on killing themselves and each other with reckless behaviour, we'll see a rise in mortality ... but cancer diagnoses in these groups will go back down.

Why is cancer so common now
pollyglot · 03/04/2025 02:41

Beacause people live longer. Stomach cancer used to be a huge killer back in the day, owing to preserving techniques.

MikeRafone · 03/04/2025 05:52

AliBaliBee1234 · 02/04/2025 22:42

I do wonder if in the 70's, people weren't as aware of cancer or as likely to have it investigated . Doctors probably weren't as knowledgeable or on the ball.

How many actually died of cancer but it was thought to be caused by something else? Cancer makes blood 'sticky' for example, which could result in clots etc.

I think it's similar to the likes of autism where I don't believe it's increasing but better diagnosed. I look back now having knowledge of autism and recognise it in alot of people I know who are my age and undiagnosed (but their children have been).

I’ve looked back through parish burial records for 1830. The vicar put anecdote information of why the dearly departed were dying. Along with Bad heart, there were cancer deaths, they knew about cancer in a small village in rural England in the 1830s.

they knew about cancer in 1970s, but detection wasn’t as early, due to equipment not being available or screening programs. So people were likely to find out too late about cancer. Food was different, snacking between meals was not normal, obesity wasn’t a major problem, car ownership was far lower. Pollution from cars wasn’t an issue, walking everyday was happening due to not using a car. Smoking was rife and killing men with lung cancer and heart disease

Fraaances · 03/04/2025 06:24

Also, a lot of cancers have genetic links as well as environmental ones. If you were to imagine that the population is rather like a family tree with far fewer people in each preceding generation, this explains the difference too. Waaaaaaay more people.

Needspaceforlego · 03/04/2025 06:36

JustWalkingTheDogs · 02/04/2025 21:13

I don’t think it’s more common, I just think we’re so much better at identifying it. It’s always been here, people might have died of it, but not knowing it was cancer.

Agree with this. I also don't think people always knew what it was.

Years ago I came across a newspaper from the middle of the 19th century, I'm guessing it was something like 1860. There was an headline "the son of Mozart died yesterday in Vienna of stomach cancer" it's stuck with me because I didn't think they knew about cancer then. And how many others would have had it but never been diagnosed.

AquaPeer · 03/04/2025 06:46

notimeforregrets · 03/04/2025 00:08

I think aspartame has links to cancer.

It’s doesn’t- aspartame is apparently one of the most studied foodstuff links to cancer and no link has been found

SallyWD · 03/04/2025 06:51

I think it's chemicals that are in everything including plastics, pesticides, the air we breathe, water, the cleaning products we use, beauty products, non-stick frying pans. Just everything.
I got cancer in my 30s. It was kidney cancer that was previously seen as an old man's cancer. They're now seeing more and more young People with it. It's the same with many other cancers.

Hereweka · 03/04/2025 06:54

User450707 · 02/04/2025 21:39

  1. Cancer isn't necessarily more common but the massively increased rate of communication means you simply hear about it more often. 50 years ago you natrually lose touch with people. These days, we stay in contact with almost every single person we've ever met, multiply that by everyone so obviously you find out about tragic health news more common.

  2. Cancer is also a specific thing people talk about. It's sad and shocking so usually the first thing people selectively tell others.

  3. The actual rise in numbers are mostly in very old people due to increased life spans. Look at graphs for cancer diagnosis in people in their 80s and 90s.

  4. The internet also made it much easier for people to find out about celebrities or famous people with cancer. That makes it feel more omnipresent but has zero statistical relevance. Half a century ago, famous people could easily get treatment discreetly or keep their diagnosis secret.

  5. Better medical technology means many cases of cancer are caught at a stage where it can be diagnosable. Many decades ago or in countries with very poor healthcare, cancer may only be found when it starts causing fatal complications and the cause of death gets written up as something else. Or people never find out the underlying cause.

  6. Advanced medicine also helps many people live longer to experience cancer recurrence or secondary cancer caused by treatment of the first. Decades ago, babies born with underlying conditions may not have survived for long and you never hear of those cases. Nowadays, many more children are surviving childhood cancer but which still increases their overall risk as adults.

All explanations that have nothing to do with conspiracy theories.

The only reasonable correlation to increased rates of cancer would be obesity. People are fatter right now what any point in history so that could account for a small number of extra cases.

Edited

Sane response!

Plus, in the past people would have been unwittingly living with cancer, unaware, "women's problems" or "a persistent cough" which would either not be diagnosed due to the cost of seeing a doctor, or would have not been able to be easily diagnosed.

They would then die of something else, like a coal mine falling on them, cholera, TB, influenza, measles, mumps, a runaway horse, a nasty infected tooth, broken leg, drowning, whilst all along also having cancer.

StarlightLady · 03/04/2025 06:55

There are lots of references to diet, lifestyle and pollution up thread which l think must be the case.

But l think there is a brighter cloud here too, diagnosis and screening technology has improved, so people are now being identified that some years ago would have been missed.

TeaIsNice · 03/04/2025 06:59

processed foods, environmental changes, stress, you name it

Needspaceforlego · 03/04/2025 07:00

Topsyturvy78 · 03/04/2025 01:58

I've heard childhood cancer is common in children conceived through IVF.

Is there some evidence or research studies to back that up?

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 03/04/2025 07:01

Needspaceforlego · 03/04/2025 06:36

Agree with this. I also don't think people always knew what it was.

Years ago I came across a newspaper from the middle of the 19th century, I'm guessing it was something like 1860. There was an headline "the son of Mozart died yesterday in Vienna of stomach cancer" it's stuck with me because I didn't think they knew about cancer then. And how many others would have had it but never been diagnosed.

Cancer has been known about since the Ancient Greeks, if not longer. They could see and feel tumours and they knew that certain symptoms were characteristic of certain diseases. They couldn't really treat it other than relieving pain, but they knew it existed.

loulouljh · 03/04/2025 07:01

covid vaccines?

Needspaceforlego · 03/04/2025 07:04

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 03/04/2025 07:01

Cancer has been known about since the Ancient Greeks, if not longer. They could see and feel tumours and they knew that certain symptoms were characteristic of certain diseases. They couldn't really treat it other than relieving pain, but they knew it existed.

May be but would the average person in 1860 have had that knowledge?
Would they have been even seen by a Doctor?

Those with money maybe but lots of others would have just tolerated the pain.

babyproblems · 03/04/2025 07:04

I am not a doctor or scientist but my guesses honestly are modern lifestyle related-UPF, chemicals in cosmetics & household products, vehicule pollution, pesticide pollution and similar toxins causing our bodies to change how they operate. I expect some of us are genetically more vulnerable to cancer like we are to other illnesses, than others’. Very sad for your friends xxx

Livingbytheocean · 03/04/2025 07:04

Combination of dactors

Hormones via the pill in all water affecting hormone levels.
Stress
Poor diets and obesity
Genetics
Longevity

MightAsWellBeGretel · 03/04/2025 07:04

I've noticed this and wondered about it too.

It could be any of the the suggestions above, but it could also just be nature coming back at us. We've almost wiped out so many of the things that used to kill us through, vaccinations and generally better nourishment and health. There's a destructive element to nature (don't know what else to call it, really) that wants to kill, could it be this coming at us stronger?

Smallmercies · 03/04/2025 07:05

There isn't more cancer; some cancers of the elderly are more prevalent because there are many more old people, and some cancers of the young appear more prevalent because those young people aren't dying from measles, tuberculosis or diphtheria. Overall mortality is hugely, hugely reduced due to better living conditions. Plus, we have a vast range of treatments to cure or alleviate, whereas in former times cancer killed much more swiftly. Look up poor Amy Robsart.

NoIRemember · 03/04/2025 07:07

More people, more autoimmune issues, microplastics, pollution, vaping etc