CANCER is typically thought of as a disease of old age.
But doctors are increasingly finding that certain types, particularly bowel cancer, are hitting younger people far more than they used to.
In a new report, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, scientists have found that appendiceal cancer – a very rare form of the disease – is also on the rise.
An analysis of over 4000 people in the US, found that compared with older generations, rates of the condition, also called appendix cancer, have tripled among Gen X and quadrupled among millennials.
“There is a disproportionate burden of appendix cancer among young individuals,” said the study’s lead author, Andreana Holowatyj, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in the US, told NBC News.
The researchers suggest that environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors that intensified after the second-world war may explain the concerning increase in appendix cancer rates.
They point to dietary habits, gut bacteria changes, greater prevalence of conditions inflaming the gastrointestinal tract in particular.
“Similar trends have been reported for other gastrointestinal cancers, suggestive of potential shared cause contributing to this increasing cancer burden across generations,” the study noted.
Although the new study, published yesterday, did not include individuals from the UK, a study published in 2022 did, revealing a similar trend.
The research, published in BJS Open, showed that cases of the disease in the UK have more than quadrupled in the UK.
There were a total of 949 cases between 1995 and 2001, which jumped to 4132 total cases between 2010 and 2016.
Still, appendix cancers are extremely rare.
According to the National Cancer Institute, they occur at a rate of 1 to 2 cases per million people annually in the US.
Meanwhile, in the UK, where the population is smaller, around 640 people are diagnosed with the disease each year.
The appendix is a small pouch of tissue that hangs off the abdomen.
It is part of the intestines and bowel, which absorb nutrients and remove waste from the body.
Experts do not know what the appendix does, but it may help the immune system.
There are two main types of appendiceal cancer: epithelial appendiceal cancer and neuroendocrine appendiceal cancer.
The symptoms of appendiceal cancer can vary but may include abdominal pain, bloating, the presence of a lump in the tummy, nausea, and feeling full quickly after eating.
