To think cancer is rising exponentially in under 55s?

[Peverellshire]

Anecdotes not data, but:

1. Kidney cancer that’s spread - friend - fit, well, 52, diagnosed after routine check for something else. Spread to other organs, no symptoms
2. Triathlete colleague, 52 years. Stomach/ bowel cancer, spread. Diagnosed after, a sudden, violent, stomach upset. Stage 4.
3. Colleague / stage 4 bowel cancer, aged 47, no real symptoms.

Numerous other acquaintances in 50-55 bracket.

Should we have ‘preventative’ MRIs?
To be expected in 50s as old/older?
Does it reflect your experience?

It definitely feels that way but I would expect it’s because we’re hitting that age when this happens. Especially when you consider that 50% of us will have a cancer at some point.

I don’t think cancer is rising exponentially although I believe (off the top of my head) that it is rising due to factors like lifestyle and better detection.

Largely though, I think your experience is likely due to the age groups you mix in. 40’s/50’s is when these things become more common amongst peer groups.

On your last point, no I don’t believe that preventative MRI’s would be a good thing and have the potential to cause more harm than good. I do, however, think that regular checkups/annual health checks would be beneficial to all ages but that’s not really a ‘thing’ in this country.

I think preventative MRIs would be a good idea for those who have a significant family history of cancer (this may already be a thing), but realistically it's not possible to do full body MRIs on the whole population once they reach a certain age.

Cancer rates are increasing, but then again so are survival rates. Our population is so unhealthy in general that it's bound to be part of the cause. There should be a bigger push for people to eat healthily and exercise.

I think preventative MRIs would be a good idea for those who have a significant family history of cancer (this may already be a thing

Not MRI’s but with a strong family history of particular cancers doctors may put you forward for specific screening tests for those particular cancers. I think there’s an argument for starting bowel cancer screening at a much earlier age than 60 (which I think it is now).

Of course that’s all reliant on a functioning healthcare system.

I lost DH and 3 other male friends in their 50s to cancer during Covid. I don't think covid was a cause/connection, just it all seemed to come at once, although I do think DH would have got differnet care without covid restrictions.

They were all fairly active in their 40s, but they were all over weight and had smoked a lot in their youth. 3 were regular social drinkers, probably drinking more than guidelines, but not what much of MN would deem excessive and one had been a big drinker until he gave up alcohol all together in his 40s.

Who really knows what it's all about, but to me it's interesting that all these men had very similar lifestyles and mistreated their bodies some extent despite outwardly being quite healthy in middle age.

Good points @languageat30 but those flagged above are paragons of health as per Dame Deborah James, healthy BMI, fit & well.

These are not unhealthy people. Prob small, unrepresentative sample, BUT IME, a dramatic shift/increase in this demographic.

Very sorry to hear about your DH.

How overweight do you mean? Nudging obese or just out of healthy zone?

I am sorry to hear about your friends but no, I don't think anecdotal evidence is enough to say that cancer rates are rising.

We have a population that lives longer in general, people no longer die so often of things like infections, various other (now) treatable diseases...

This doesn't reflect my experience personally - I have a friend who had breast cancer in her 40s, but otherwise the cancer sufferers I know have been in their 70s / 80s. I'm 49 btw.

Do you think it's related to lifestyle, diet etc? I guess not, as you say that your friends are fit and healthy?

I agree OP

i know multiple people my age (48) who have it / died quickly.

I was talking to my mum (81) about it, and it definitely used to be a rarity when she was my age.

There’s clearly something about our environment that is causing this.

I know three people from school who died before the age of 30 of cancer. More than I count on my fingers when it comes to relatives of people from school who all lived in the area. Several brain tumors.
My theory is we were in a rural area and the school was surrounded by farmers fields where they were regularly spraying pesticides.
There was also an incinerator down the road. Built in proximity to a school.

I had a very similar conversation yesterday with a GP friend after work in the rise in cancer cases in younger than expected people.

It seems to be more men than women.
Covid lockdowns played a part as people simply didn't get diagnosed as they avoided or were unable to attend a GP surgery.
A third of cancer diagnosis happens in A&E where people go in complaining of a pain etc and then find out it's cancer. Again during lockdown this didn't happen.
Cancers are being spotted earlier.

So currently there is a bit of a catch up on a backlog of cancers that had already been there and in some cases sadly left too late plus improvements in medical care that are spotting other cancers earlier.

But 30 years ago you'd probably never have heard of Deborah James. I think it's a mix of the age group you're in and the internet/social media making people more visible. We lost a fit and healthy relative to cancer in his 40s in the early 2000s. It's always happened.

A bit of a belly, nothing that would stand out as excessively "fat" in today's society.

We do live in a world full of toxins and add chosen extras in the form of of alcohol, nicotine,drugs, vapes and bad food so I wouldn't be surprised.

Interesting, if so, what might it be? Eating highly processed foods? That’s ‘new’ & obvs not good for anyone.

Plenty of other countries do annual full body scans. It's how my BIL's mother's lung cancer was picked up aged 52 (Poland). I would be in favour of this. Early detection saves lives, here in the UK I'd be dead before I could even get an appointment.

Yes definitely, I think about this all the time. From my year group at school (now early 30s) I know of 3 people who've had cancer, fortunately treatable and in remission now.
I can think of countless people my age who've lost a parent due to cancer.
I lost my aunt to it in her 50s and my uncle had it in his 40s, but fortunately treated and survived.
Every time my parents are unwell or anything (late 50s) I immediately worry and jump to conclusions, and I shouldn't really. I know they call 50s the sniper alley though.
I think news websites really don't help. I'm subscribed to the MEN and the countless 'Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in my 20s/30s' is frightening.

Yes they are. It used to be 1 in 10, now it’s 1 in 3.

Over 40% are preventable through diet and lifestyle. We eat shit food and we sit on our arses. Those who don’t eat shit are still eating high carb. Glucose feeds cancer.

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/b80245bd-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/b80245bd-en

Bowel cancer is on the increase in younger people.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/42aef3b4-2f15-11e9-b50c-c6da8f614c54?shareToken=b28e82de505535b0d783713ec23b3e20

Actually I think DH's cancer was found earlier than it might have been because of covid. He had a cough, which turned out to be nothing to do with his kidney cancer, but rather than examine him, GP sent him straight for a scan. If GP has seen him his cough would have been treated but his cancer might not have been found. It was too late anyway though and his cancer care was definitely badly affected by covid - he never met his oncologist.

I agree - also late 40s and know two people who have died of gliomas and a third soon to leave us with pancreatic cancer. All under 50. All within the last year.

The ONS analyses death by cause so if there is a spike we should start to see it soon.

I often think of Tom Parker, Sarah Harding and Deborah James, and feel angry that they all died under 40 and nothing could be done (for them, and for everybody else suffering).

Tom Parker was a year older than I am and it was heartbreaking, he must have been so frightened.

It's a real effect. Numbers of cancers in the under fifties are still small compared to cancers in the over sixties, but they are growing disproportionately.
https://www.ft.com/content/90d5f2e3-d539-4149-a503-2114ac3ef355
Bowel cancers are the biggest contributors.

MRIs all round aren't a practical solution, but lowering the age for poo screening and speeding ahead with the new NHS multi-blood tests are highly desirable, along with doing whatever we can to lower obesity rates and research what specific features of diet may be increasing risk.

Eat your veg and fibre people.