Cancers in adults under 50 on 'dramatic' rise globally, finds study

The incidence of cancers diagnosed before the age of 50 has dramatically increased around the world, with this rise beginning around 1990, according to a study.

These early onset cancers include cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, and pancreas among others, the researchers said.

Possible risk factors for early-onset cancer include alcohol consumption, sleep deprivation, smoking, obesity, and eating highly processed foods, the researchers said.

While adult sleep duration has not drastically changed over the several decades, children are getting far less sleep today than they were decades ago, they said.

Risk factors such as highly-processed foods, sugary beverages, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, and alcohol consumption have all significantly increased since the 1950s, which researchers speculate has accompanied altered microbiome.

"From our data, we observed something called the birth cohort effect," said Shuji Ogino, a professor at the Brigham a