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Gen X and millennials at higher risk of cancer than Baby Boomers, study shows
Younger people have a higher risk of developing numerous types of cancer compared with older generations, according to new research published by the American Cancer Society in the journal The Lancet Public Health.
Generation X and millennials have higher incidence rates of 17 out of 34 types of cancer, including breast, pancreatic and gastric cancers, the research suggests. Lead author Dr Hyuna Sung says, we don’t yet have a clear explanation for why these rates are rising.
Increased cancer risk in post-Baby Boomer generations
Research published August 1 in The Lancet Public Health shows that the number of millennials and Generation X developing certain cancer types is higher than in Baby Boomers.
Incidence rates among these younger groups are higher than among Boomers for 17 out of 34 cancer types. The cancer types these younger groups seem to be developing in greater numbers include
- Breast cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Non-cardia gastric cancer
- Gallbladder cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Anal cancer
Moreover, the likelihood of cancer leading to death is higher among members of Generation X and the millennial generation for the following cancers:
- Uterine corpus
- Gallbladder
- Testicular
- Colorectal
- Liver (among females only)
We dont yet have a clear explanation for why rates are rising
Lead author Dr Hyuna Sung says the findings add to growing evidence of increased cancer risk in post-Baby Boomer generations.
Several factors influence a persons chance of developing cancer at some point in their life. People born in the same year share certain social, economic, political, and climate environments, Dr Sung adds, which affect exposure to cancer risk factors during their crucial developmental years.
However, the scientists conducting the research have not yet identified a clear explanation for why these cancer rates are rising among younger people.
Nevertheless, the results are an early indicator of future cancer burden in the country, says researcher Dr Ahmedin Jamal.
Without effective population-level interventions, and as the elevated risk in younger generations is carried over as individuals age, an overall increase in cancer burden could occur in the future, halting or reversing decades of progress against the disease.
There is some debate over the exact years that form the borders between the various generations, but they tend to be grouped as follows, according to Beresford Research.
- Generation Z: born 1997 – 2012
- Millennials: born 1981 – 1996
- Generation X: born 1965 – 1980
- Baby Boomers: born 1946 – 1964
- Post-War: born 1928 – 1945
Most millennials were between the ages of five and 20 when the 9/11 attacks took place in the US. Meanwhile, most members of Gen Z have no memory of the event.
Millennials were mostly between 12 and 27 during the 2008 election, which Barack Obama won. Generation Z were the first generation for whom television, computers and the Internet were always facts of life.
The Baby Boomer generation is the only one with an officially designated date range, according to Pew Research Center. The US Census Bureau recognizes 1946-1964 as a 19-year period during which there was a famous surge in post-WWII births. A decline followed, from 1964.
