Cancers among young people have almost doubled, says expert

© Keystone / Gaetan Bally

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.

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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.

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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.”

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