Rare Cancer Rising SHARPLY Among Millennials and Gen X 

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A rare appendix cancer is surging among millennials and Gen X, with diagnoses rising dramatically since 1975. 

United States: Compared to the previous generations, experts found in a report that appendix cancer has almost quadrupled among millennials and tripled among Gen X, as stated in the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. 

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As per the study’s lead author, Andreana Holowatyj, an assistant professor of hematology and oncology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, “There is a disproportionate burden of appendix cancer among young individuals,” NBC News reported. 

As the expert mentioned, Holowatyj’s earlier research was “the first to show that 1 in every 3 appendix cancers is diagnosed among adults younger than age 50.” 

“That’s compared to 1 in every eight colorectal cancers diagnosed among adults younger than age 50,” she added. 

It’s still very uncommon to be diagnosed with appendix cancer: On average, 1 to 2 cases out of every million people in the United States are recorded annually. 

To check if cancer rates had shifted through time, Holowatyj used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, which consists of data from 45.9% of the nationwide cancer registries. 

All in all, I identified 4,858 cases of appendix cancer from 1975 until 2019. Having a high number of patients in the 18 to 49 age group, plus the rise among Gen X and millennials requires us to discover the reasons behind these findings to help decrease these numbers. 

According to Dr. Cercek, the results also highlight that gastrointestinal cancers are now affecting very young patients, mainly from the last few decades.