It is noted that appendix cancer is a disease that until recently was so rare that most people did not even think about it. For decades, doctors could only encounter this disease once or twice in their career, and almost always it was found in elderly people.
But now a tendency appears – appendix cancer is diagnosed more often, and it increasingly affects people aged 30 to 40 years and even younger. This shift left many experts in bewilderment.
A new study showed that the number of cases of appendix cancer increased sharply among people born after the 1970s. In fact, the incidence was tripled or even accounted for younger generations compared to those who were born in the 1940s.
Although the general numbers are still small – only a few people are striking for a million every year – rapid growth is amazing, the publication says. In addition, approximately one of three cases now occurs in adults younger than 50 years, which is much higher than with other types of gastrointestinal cancer.
Scientists think that it stands behind this surge. One of the reasons is considered a sharp change in the lifestyle and environment over the past few decades. The level of obesity has increased sharply since the 1970s, and overweight is a well-known risk factor for many types of cancer, including cancer of the digestive system.
In addition, the diet was shifted in the direction of more processed products, sweet drinks, red or processed meat, all of which are associated with an increased risk of cancer in other parts of the intestine. Physical activity also decreased. More and more people spend a lot of time sitting at the desktop or in front of the screens.
Also, scientists do not exclude the impact of new environmental factors that previous generations have not encountered, namely: industrialization of food production, the widespread use of plastic and chemicals, as well as a change in water quality. However, the evidence is still in the early stages.
It is noted that the appendix cancer is difficult to detect. Unlike colon cancer, which can sometimes be found at an early stage using screening colonoscopy, appendix cancer is usually unnoticed. Symptoms, if they appear at all, are vague and easy to ignore them. It can be a slight abdominal pain, bloating or change in the intestinal. As a result, most cases are found only after surgery on suspicion of appendicitis, when it is often too late for early intervention.
