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?

I think it probably a combo of lifestyle factors increasing chances of cancer. Not just individually, such as weight or smoking, but also the huge number of chemicals and plastics etc we are now exposed to. Far greater than ever before, surely. And stress.

Plus, reduction in deaths of something else - meaning you remain alive for cancer to get you instead.

Cancer Research has actual statistics on cancer incidence, mortality and projections over time. Incidence is growing but slowly, not exponentially, and mortality is decreasing pretty fast.

My experience, as a pensioner, is that cancer started rearing its ugly head in my peers at around 60 but dying of cancer young is much more unusual and newsworthy than it was when I was a child when it was effectively a death sentence and tended to be spoken of in hushed tones.

CAT scans and x-rays cause cancer. MRI scans shouldn't, although there may be other reasons why they're not appropriate.

As someone who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 30, I find it insulting to hear all this talk of being a "healthy weight" etc. As if there is something I could have done to prevent my illness. I did all the right things and still got it. I am slim, don't eat processed food, don't smoke, don't drink. I now know several others who have had cancer in their thirties, more than I can count on one hand. All are very similar to me in terms of health. Infact when you are on a cancer ward, you find the same. Previously healthy people who did all the right things suddenly struck down with illness. I find all the "don't drink, don't smoke" messages pumped out by the media and government patronising.

Bowel cancer is definitely increasingly occuring in young people. Personally I doubt it's the lack of fibre in modern diets. More likely something new such as microplastics, possibly artificial sweeteners, possibly another carcinogen in pesticides.

It's extremely concerning as microplastics are now everywhere and would take decades if not centuries to remove.

I think there was an FT article which did say cancer was on the rise in the under 40s. It was a very interesting read (mostly fit and healthy younger people) but yes sadly the stereotype of older people mainly getting cancer is shifting

Not quite the same ages, but my DH lost his mum to cancer at 49, my best friend at 58 and I've just lost my mum to cancer at 69 (which first appeared at 57) which is very young for our family (her parents lived well into 90s as do most on that side of the family). All were non-smokers, not overweight, healthy eaters and active people. Perhaps we are just very unlucky but it feels unreal that three of us have all lost our otherwise fit and healthy mums young to cancer.

In my mother's day, cancer was rare. I'm in my 60s, when I was younger and newly married, cancer rates were said to be 1 in 4 in UK, then it changed over the years to 1 in 3 and now it stands at 1 in 2 in this country. I'm not sure about age groups, it has just become far more common.

To my mind it has increased becuase of lifestyle and the world we live in. The vast majority of the population weigh far more than we did in the past, eat far too much processed food/take-aways or ready meals and are in sedentary jobs. We aren't active enough generally, many live in polluted cities....world pollution and chemicals in food generally is higher than in the past and even global warming means more danger from sunburn. The list is endless.....

Same here with friends and I'm 48.

I do think we have a big issues with "healthy eating" the diet culture fads and random ideas people have about food.

I'm not sure if you did a poll on 1000, 35-50 year olds if they would know what a healthy meal consists of.

There has been little or no education from governments other than scares, don't eat eggs, don't eat beef, low fat, low sugar etc.

I think the general public are just bloody confused by food and if we are saying food and our diet is potentially the main cause of cancers then why isn't the government taking this a tad more seriously?

But isn't cancer something that does run in families? Genetics?

My family are big on heart issues pretty much everyone is a stroke, heart attack or similar but not one family member has ever had cancer of any kind.

I think it’s probably something in our diet.
I’m pretty scared tbh.

It certainly feels that way.
I’m 50 and dh is 51. We’ve had several friends and colleagues diagnosed.
DH has lost a 44 year old colleague to lung cancer (never smoked), a cousin and friend diagnosed with breast cancer both in late 40’s (friend was supposed to have her operation tomorrow but it’s been cancelled due to the doctors strikes!), another I know of has bowel cancer at 49 and my friend’s colleague has a 23 year old with bowel cancer.
Our close friends brother passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 56 from prostrate cancer.
It definitely on the rise and that’s scary as hell.

Processed foods, poor diets, high caffeine content drinks, toxic chemicals in household cleaning products, regular alcohol intake, stress, smoking, vaping, taking various medications, the effects of Covid etc are all daily aggressors in most people’s lives and are probably contributing to increased rates.

Also we have earlier detection and the knowledge that something else can be a symptom of undetected disease.

Before antivaxxers start with ‘but the vaccine’ the numbers have been quietly exploding for a good few years now.

Japan

There seems to be evidence that cancer rates amongst the middle aged are ‘up’.

Articles say this is NOT happening in Japan.

So if this is correct, what can we learn from the Japanese?

Another thing is that people didn’t really talk about cancer especially if it was a ‘rude’ bit. Eg My aunt died of breast cancer but her husband would never say breast in company as it was considered shocking.

This is pure anecdote. There have always been instances of cancer in the under 55s, you just never noticed if you weren't a similar age. Ditto heart disease, stroke etc. Remember when you were a kid and your parents were forever banging on about So and So who had died "young"? You weren't interested, didn't care and thought these "young" people were all geriatric. It's that.

dreamonlucid I believe most cancers are by chance and lifestyle. Genetic cancers are about 5-10%.

I know a lot of people who have recently died from cancer too 😞 it used to be 1 in 3 people would get cancer, now 1 in 2 ... 😞

Could the bowel cancer rise in youngster be caused by the trend for anal sex ? It could be HPV causing it

I think it's actually a combination of social media meaning we know about more people, better diagnostics (actually realising it was cancer, before it more have been "organ failure" and potentially our rather burgeoning waist lines - even those thought of as slim and fit are typically significantly larger than 40 years ago. Women in particular drink far more now.

Most of the increase in cancer rates though is in the very elderly, you live longer, your probability of getting cancer increases - in the past many diseases/conditions we now can treat killed us eg we now take statins and have stents and pacemakers to prevent heart attacks

My DH is on his third lot of cancer in four years. The first two were treated quickly thanks to private healthcare. His current cancer is secondary and metastasised in the bones, so no cure this time. He's 58. Always been relatively fit, although his diet isn't great, and he also has diabetes.

A colleague died several years ago in her 40s from secondary breast cancer. Gym bunny, slim and toned, and very healthy diet. We're all vulnerable to it.

I think part of it is that sadly in the past some of your friends would have already died of something else. Cars are safer etc.

Fairyliz I was thinking about this the other day. Pre SM days if someone was suffering from cancer only close friends and family knew about it. These days so many (especially young people) document their journey on every sm platform, so it does seems very much like it is rife.

You are aware of it because that's the age range you and your friends have reached.

Cancer is being diagnosed late because of the pandemic and the resulting shitshow that is the NHS

But 'exponential' no that's not happening unless you have links that show that in which case I will stand corrected.

Highly processed foods are are at least somewhat to blame I think. Vast amounts of them untested over a long time chemical ingredients in our food. Since the 1970s the rise of convenience foods, ready meals, low fat diet stuff etc. I urge you to read Ultra Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken. Scary read but explains this much better than I can.

It really is. The insistence that starting a family in your 40s is perfectly reasonable and sensible really bothers me for this reason.