Rare cancer increases in generation Y and Gen X. Here is what to know

Annex cancer cases seem to increase sharply in young adults, according to a new study.

Research, published on June 10 Annals of internal medicinespecifically found that the diagnoses of the little -known disease Tripled among generation X and quadruple among older millennials In the United States.

This study provides data to safeguard “a general feeling that the diagnosis has increased,” said Garrett Nash, MD, MPH, a surgeon dealing with the colorectal service at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said Health.

However, experts emphasize that cancer of the annex is still extremely rareSo the risk of developing this disease is low.

Cancer can develop from cells that make up the annex, a small pocket of fabric in the abdomen that is part of the intestines and the colon. Doctors are not entirely sure of what the annex does, but they think that this can support the immune function.

There are two types of cancer of the appendix:

• Neuroendocrine annex cancer: The most common type, this type of cancer is developing from enterochromaffin cells, which produce chemicals that help digestion and movement in the intestine.
• Appendical epithelial cancer: This type occurs in the cells that line the annex.

The most common presentation of annex cancer at an early stage is appendicitis, when the appendix is ​​inflamed and infected. Most cases of cancer in the appendix remain unmatched until someone has removed the organ due to appendicitis.

“Healing rates are very high when cancer is confined to the annex,” said Nash. But if the appendix breaks out, all tumor cells can spread throughout the abdominal cavity, added Andreana Holowatyj, PHD, assistant professor of hematology and oncology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center who managed the research team.

To assess the incidence rates between age groups, the research team has drawn data from the National Cancer Institute approximately 4,858 people aged 20 or over which received an annex cancer diagnosis between 1975 and 2019.

After gathering people per year of birth, scientists discovered that, compared to people born in the 1940s, cancer rates in the appendix more than tripled among the Xers of the generation born in the 1970s and in the early 1980s and quadrupled among older millennials born between 1981 and 1990.

The observation arises as an increasing number of young adults are diagnosed with other cancers, including those of the colon, breast, uterine, prostate and stomach.

In fact, the increase in colon cancer cases in the younger generations is what inspired Holowatyj to want to study the cancer of the appendix. His previous research has shown that a person in three people involved in the disease is diagnosed before reaching the age of 50.

In the United States, it is believed that appendix cancer affects only about one or two people per million per yearAccording to the National Cancer Institute. Although the organization notes that “recent studies show that annex cancer is increasingly common”, Michael Fote, MD, oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said that it “remains extremely rare”.

“To say that it rises on the march,” he continued, “could mean that some additional people are diagnosed each year. “”

A 2023 report noted that various factors, such as diet, lifestyle and exposure to environmental toxins and antibiotics, could lead to an increase in cases of gastrointestinal cancer in young adults.

As for the rise of cancer of the appendix specifically, Holowatyj noted that the cause remains unknown, but it thinks that it is probably “A constellation of factors– and the intersection of these factors overall. »»

Nash, on the other hand, identified environmental exhibitions as “the main suspect”.

Since cases of cancer of the annex increase but that the appendectomy procedures are not, the increase in cancer cases is probably not due to more detection, Holowatyj said.

In a study involving 352 people with annex cancer on which Holowatyj has worked but has not yet been published, young people have shown symptoms more often than older adults.

The most widespread symptoms were:

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating / distension
• Pelvic pain
• Have an abdominal or pelvic mass

Other symptoms may include the accumulation of liquid, the increase in size of size, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

However, most symptoms do not often appear until cancer is at a later stage, according to Themd Anderson Cancer Center. “Unfortunately, the majority [of appendix cancer cases] Present as stadium IV, ”said Nash.

The symptoms not always obvious, no preventive screening method and the diagnosis largely only after the elimination of the annex, Holowatyj said it was important to be aware of any symptoms And alert your doctor.

If you had appendicitis but you did not delete it, plan a follow -up analysis to minimize the risk that appendicitis has masked a tumor, said Nash.

“I think the largest takes home [message] is … “Seeing something, saying something,” said Holowatyj.