B2 – Upper Intermediate
An alarming trend has emerged: a significant increase in cancer diagnoses among young adults. For instance, one in five new colorectal cancer patients in the U.S. is now under 55, nearly double the rate from 1995. Researchers attribute this rise to factors like increasing obesity rates, consumption of ultra-processed foods, higher alcohol intake, sleep disruptions, and exposure to environmental toxins such as microplastics.
Read the article to know why these lifestyle and environmental changes may be altering cancer risks for younger populations.
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/early-onset-cancer-in-younger-people-on-the-rise
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “early-onset cancer” mean? “Because advancing age is the top risk factor for cancer in general, the recent rise in early-onset cancers is worrisome. “ Use it in a sentence.
- What does “to warrant something” mean? “Others may not go to the doctor because they have limited or no health insurance—or they believe their health problems are not serious enough to warrant a visit.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “to be thrown by something” mean? “Health-conscious patients who ate well and exercised feel completely thrown by a cancer diagnosis and need to know it’s not their fault.”” Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What types of cancer are increasingly being diagnosed in younger adults, particularly under age 55?
- How has the rate of colorectal cancer in young adults changed since 1995?
- What lifestyle factors are believed to contribute to the rising cancer rates among younger populations?
- In what ways might environmental exposures like microplastics and pollutants influence cancer development?
- Why is it important to address cancer risks early in life rather than waiting until later adulthood?
One reply on “Rising Rates of ‘Early-Onset’ Cancer”
1. What types of cancer are increasingly being diagnosed in younger adults, particularly under age 55?.
Common cancers such as breast, prostate and endometrial cancer in young adults, as well as colorectal and cervical cancer.
2. How has the rate of colorectal cancer in young adults changed since 1995?.
It is now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and the second leading cause of death in women in that age group. According to the ACS, rates have steadily increased among people 55 and younger since the mid-1990s.
3. What lifestyle factors are believed to contribute to the rising cancer rates among younger populations?.
Factors like increasing obesity rates, consumption of ultra-processed foods, higher alcohol intake, sleep disruptions, and exposure to environmental toxins such as microplastics. These are some examples of lifestyle habits that can contribute to the rising in cancer rates.
4. In what ways might environmental exposures like microplastics and pollutants influence cancer development?.
Some microplastics contain endocrine disruptors. These substances interfere with the body’s natural hormones, disrupting hormone-sensitive cellular functions, which can contribute to the development of cancers such as breast, prostate, or testicular cancer.
5.Why is it important to address cancer risks early in life rather than waiting until later adulthood?.
Changing habits that help reduce cancer risk early in life is critical because many of the causes of cancer accumulate over time and act silently for years before the disease appears.