Raising awareness on cancer: In this file photo from 2023, a young cancer survivor is being interviewed.
What’s alarming is that it involves adults under the age of 50, says NCSM
PETALING JAYA: There is a concerning rise in cancer diagnosis among adults under the age of 50, says National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM) managing director Dr M. Murallitharan.
“At the moment we do not have any recent data as the most updated national statistics we have are from the Malaysian National Cancer Registry Report (MNCR) for 2012-2016,” he said.
“According to the comparison made between the 2012-2016 and 2007-2011 MNCR reports, higher incidence rates for female colorectal cancer cases are seen in the younger age group between 35 and 44 in 2012-2016.
”Clinically, we are noticing a concerning rise in the number of under-50 adults being diagnosed with cancer in recent years. However, there is still limited recent data to confirm this trend epidemiologically,” he added.
He said that in the under-50 cohort, most cases belonged to the 45- to 49-year-old age bracket.
“According to the MNCR 2012-2016, the most common types of cancer in male adults aged between 35 and 50 are colorectal cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer. For females within this age group, the most common cancer is breast cancer,” he said.
On what the contributing factors are, Dr Murallitharan said the increase in cases could be attributed to the sedentary lifestyle among the younger generation, where many tend to spend time on their mobile devices and lack physical activity.
On top of that, an unhealthy diet is also a contributing factor.
“This could lead to an increase in obesity rates among adults under 50 and result in cancer as obesity is linked to 13 different types of cancer.
“The increase in the use of tobacco products among young adults may also contribute to this worrisome trend,” he said.
“It is still too early to tell what the exact cause of this trend is as we all know it is very difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why someone gets cancer.
“Regardless, more research is required to explain why and how more young adults are getting cancer,” he added.
In a recent report, the American Cancer Society noted that cancer patients are “increasingly shifting from older to middle-aged individuals”.
According to the report, there was an increase in overall cancer incidence among people younger than 50 compared to those aged 65 and older as well as those belonging to the 50 to 64 age bracket.
In a recent article, the Yale Medicine Colon and Rectal Surgery doctors reported seeing more colorectal cases among younger patients.
They also urged people youn-ger than 45 to consult their doctors about any suspicious symptoms such as constipation, rectal bleeding or sudden changes in bowel movements.
The American Cancer Society reported that 20% of colorectal diagnoses in 2019 were among those aged below 55. This is about double the rate in 1995.
It also predicted that in 2023, an estimated 19,550 diagnoses and 3,750 deaths would be in people younger than 50.
Meanwhile, according to a study by scientists in China’s Zhejiang University, Harvard University in the United States and Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom, the number of under-50s worldwide being diagnosed with cancer has risen by nearly 80% in the span of 30 years.
The research said global cases of early onset cancer increased from under two million people in 1990 to over three million in 2019.
Deaths among people in their 30s and 40s from cancer went up by 27% in the same period.
The report also noted that more than a million people under the age of 50 die of cancer every year globally.
