Rise in Early-Onset Cancer Not Linked to Rise in Clinically Meaningful Cancer Occurrence

FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The increase in early-onset cancer incidence does not consistently indicate an increase in the occurrence of clinically meaningful cancer, according to an article published online Sept. 29 in JAMA Internal Medicine.Vishal R. Patel, M.D., M.P.H., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined whether increasing rates of early-onset cancer represent a true increase in cancer occurrence or increased diagnostic scrutiny.The researchers note that since 1992, the eight cancers (thyroid, anus, kidney, small intestine, colorectum, endometrium, pancreas, and myeloma) with the fastest-rising incidence (>1 percent per year) in U.S. adults younger than 50 years have doubled in incidence in aggregate, while the aggregate mortality remained flat for these cancers. A slight increase in mortality was seen for colorectal and endometrial cancer, while stable or declining mortality alongside increasing diagnoses for the other cancers suggests that the trend is accounted for by increased detection. Overdiagnosis is well documented in some cancers such as thyroid and kidney cancer. Incidental detection or earlier diagnosis may explain the trends in other cancers. Breast cancer remains the most common early-onset cancer, but is not among the fastest-growing (0.6 percent per year); mortality has decreased by about half despite increasing diagnoses in women younger than 50 years."Our findings highlight the need for a more nuanced approach to early detection. More diagnoses do not necessarily mean more deaths, but they do mean more lives that will be profoundly changed," the authors write. "The challenge is to refine diagnosis to only detect and treat the cancers that truly matter."One author disclosed ties to the publishing industry.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)Editorial (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Rise in Early-Onset Cancer Not Linked to Rise in Clinically Meaningful Cancer Occurrence

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