Increase in cancers before the age of 50: here are the vital questions to ask your loved ones to protect your health
This is an underlying trend that worries the medical world: the marked increase in more than a dozen types of cancer in adults under 50.
Among these so-called “early onset” cancers, breast and colorectal cancers are experiencing the greatest progression. In the United States, colorectal cancer has even become the leading cause of cancer death among 18-49 year olds.
The changes in our lifestyles are singled out, but not only that. Another individual factor remains one of the most powerful levers of prevention: our own family’s medical history.
An increase in early cases with multiple causes
Researchers do not favor a single cause to explain this explosion of cancers among young adults. Scientific studies are moving more towards a convergence of modern risk factors.
Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol consumption, as well as profound alterations in our intestinal microbiota are strongly suspected. Added to this are deleterious environmental factors, such as the omnipresent exposure to microplastics.
Family history: why is it a major prevention tool?
Beyond lifestyle, our genetic heritage and the medical history of our loved ones play a preponderant role. As Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of True Medical, points out:
“Knowing the family history of cancers is important because certain cancers appear more often in certain families, sometimes because of an inherited predisposition. This does not mean that we will necessarily have cancer, but it can help to identify earlier the people who need special monitoring.”
Routine screening recommendations (such as mammograms starting at age 40 or 50) are aimed at the general population at average risk. They are not suitable for people with high family risks, for whom doctors may recommend examinations from their twenties. For Dr. Kierzek, the medical family tree is “a real prevention tool. Used correctly, it allows screening to be adapted, to start earlier if necessary, and sometimes to also protect other members of the family.”
Certain pathologies or specific mutations should be of particular concern:
- Breast and ovarian cancer : frequently associated with genetic mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes;
- Lynch syndrome: a predisposition which mainly increases the risk of colon and endometrial cancers;
- Familial polyposis: abnormalities that drastically increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer;
- Diffuse familial gastric cancers as well as certain familial melanomas.
When should you talk to your doctor and what questions should you ask?
For this tool to be effective, it is necessary to carry out the survey among those close to you. “Above all, you should ask your family who has had cancer, what type of cancer, and at what age it appeared.“, advises Dr. Kierzek.”It is also useful to know if there have been several cancers in the same person, or several cases in the same family branch.”
The medical director of True Medical specifies the criteria which must lead to the consultation.
“You should talk to your doctor as soon as there are several cancers in the family, a cancer that occurred at a young age, or cancers of the breast, ovary, colon, prostate, stomach or melanoma in relatives. The doctor will be able to tell you whether you simply need to monitor more or seek specialist advice.”
Unusual symptoms and home tests: reflexes to adopt
Alongside this family mapping, listening to your own body is essential. Oncologist Veda Giri, director of the early-onset cancer program at the Yale Cancer Center, reminds us that any alarm signal must be reported quickly: a mass in the breast, abdominal pain felt continuously, a lasting change in intestinal transit, the presence of blood in the stools or unexplained fatigue.
Faced with the emergence of screening kits or home genetic tests sold on the internet, vigilance remains essential. Although easy to access, these tests have limitations. They can generate a “false sense of comfort or false anxiety”warns Dr. Giri.
Nothing replaces a standard screening (such as a colonoscopy) supervised by a professional. If you use a home kit, always share the results with your doctor in order to organize appropriate follow-up examinations, if necessary.
In summary, the increase in cancers among those under 50 shows that the disease does not always wait until middle age. If environmental and behavioral factors are complex to control individually, the study of family history offers an immediate and personalized weapon of prevention. Opening a dialogue with your family and your doctor remains the best way to act in time.