Incidence rates of some cancer types have risen in people under age 50

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Despite increasing incidence rates, cancer deaths in young people have not increased overall

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have completed a comprehensive analysis of cancer statistics for different age groups in the United States and found that from 2010 through 2019, the incidence of 14 cancer types increased among people under age 50. Of these cancer types, nine — including several common cancers, such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer — also increased in some groups of people aged 50 and older. However, the incidence of 19 other cancer types — including lung cancer and prostate cancer — decreased among people under age 50, so the total rate of all cancers diagnosed in both younger and older age groups did not increase, nor did the rate of cancer death.

“This study provides a starting point for understanding which cancers are increasing among individuals under age 50,” said lead investigator Meredith Shiels, Ph.D., of NIH’s National Cancer Institute. “The causes of these increases are likely to be cancer specific, including cancer risk factors becoming more common at younger ages, changes in cancer screening or detection, and updates to clinical diagnosis or coding of cancers.”