Cancers in adults below 50 have 'dramatically increased' worldwide since the 1990s. Really!

Another example of typical alarmism and hysteria journalism! This is likely  more an artifact than reality!

Too little is actually known to make such bold statements! E.g. prospective and retrospective cohort studies are lacking. Life expectancy and medical survival rates due to better treatments also have increased spectacularly! Better screening programs were introduced in many countries and we do not know what was going on before.

"A study by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveals that the incidence of early onset cancers — including breast, colon, esophagus, kidney, liver, and pancreas — has dramatically increased around the world, with the rise beginning around 1990. ..."

From the abstract:

"Over the past several decades, the incidence of early-onset cancers, often defined as cancers diagnosed in adults <50 years of age ... has increased in multiple countries. Increased use of screening programmes has contributed to this phenomenon to a certain extent, although a genuine increase in the incidence of early-onset forms of several cancer types also seems to have emerged. Evidence suggests an aetiological role of risk factor exposures in early life and young adulthood. Since the mid-20th century, substantial multigenerational changes in the exposome have occurred (including changes in diet, lifestyle, obesity, environment and the microbiome, all of which might interact with genomic and/or genetic susceptibilities). However, the effects of individual exposures remain largely unknown. To study early-life exposures and their implications for multiple cancer types will require prospective cohort studies with dedicated biobanking and data collection technologies. ... In this Review, we describe changes in the incidence of early-onset cancers globally and suggest measures that are likely to reduce the burden of cancers and other chronic non-communicable diseases."

Cancers in adults below 50 have 'dramatically increased': Report - ABC News

Harvard University: Dramatic rise in cancer in people under 50 Altered microbiome, sleep deprivation, increase in alcohol consumption among possible culprits in 30-year global trend

Is early-onset cancer an emerging global epidemic? Current evidence and future implications (no public access, but the article above contains a link to the PDF file)