Cancers in people under the age of 50, previously extremely rare, are on the increase. “They have almost doubled,” says Solange Peters, head of medical oncology at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in western Switzerland. In her view, this is “an alarming sign”.
“In the over-65s, the number of cases is increasing, but this is due to the ageing of the population,” she told 24 heures newspaper on Thursday.
In the under-50s, cancers were extremely rare. “That’s changing,” she says. “The figures are small compared with those for older people, but they have almost doubled. This is an alarming sign.” The increase particularly concerns breast, colon, pancreatic, liver, prostate, kidney and uterine cancers.
The overload of artificial sugars and additives in the diet could add to the well-identified risk factors such as obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and alcohol. “In our so-called developed countries, this evolution seems to be linked to our lifestyle,” Peters said.
‘Unacceptable inequalities’
Other links are emerging, between the over-consumption of red meat and digestive tumours, between pollution and respiratory or urinary tract damage, and between hormones and breast cancer, she explained.
A healthy lifestyle is a good basis for prevention, although genetic and infectious factors can also play a role, says the oncologist. On the other hand, she stresses the importance of early detection, which is often paid for by the cantons.
And it’s better to seek help than to let symptoms linger, she says. “But here, unfortunately, our health insurance system is already creating unacceptable inequalities.”
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.