This week the American Cancer Society released the new state of cancer.
In the 2024 statistics, there’s a mix of good and bad news:
YOU’RE NOT TOO YOUNG FOR COLON CANCER
You are not too young to get colon cancer.
While the American Cancer Society (ACS) shed some good news on a lot of cancers across the board, the age of colon cancer patients has changed, and it’s not good.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second in women under 50.
Historically, this was an older person’s disease, but ACS says that’s not the case anymore.
Young people’s risk has gone up.
“So, these trends are concerning, and, you know, anecdotally talking to physicians out there, they’re seeing it too,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
Plus, many doctors will tell you when they detect the disease in young people, it’s presenting with a more advanced disease.
CANCER RATES ARE UP
This year, for the first time, the projected number of new cancer diagnoses in the United States will top two million.
Does that mean we’re unhealthy or just getting it more often?
“This may be a window into what’s happening with the obesity epidemic. Cancers driven by obesity, such as pancreas, kidney, postmenopausal breast cancer and liver cancers are increasing,” Dr. Dahut said.
Additionally, melanoma is being detected more in women. The reason may be more skin cancer screenings or simply more sunshine exposure over time.
DEATH FROM CANCER IS DOWN
There’s good news in cancer this year.
Death from cancer is down.
ACS said there are lower death rates for every single cancer except endometrial cancer.
The reason why endometrial cancer continues to be deadly is unknown and needs more research. However, it is well understood that endometrial cancer disproportionately affects women of color, with the death rate now two times higher in Black women (9.1 per 100,000) than in White women (4.6 per 100,000).
PEDIATRIC CANCER IS STABLE
Rates of cancer in kids are now stabilizing.
“In children and adolescents. Overall, cancer rates have finally stabilized. They had been increasing over time. This may have been due to detection (some detection such as thyroid cancer.) But we’re very pleased to see these rates actually stabilizing,” Dr. Dahut said.
With modern kids receiving an HPV vaccine as part of routine care, ACS predicts they’re looking at a more cancer-free future.
“Based on vaccination rates, we’re seeing a decrease in cervical cancer. As we mentioned last year in the population, the cohorts that received the HPV vaccination,” Dr. Dahut said.
