The increase in tumors among young people is a phenomenon that unfortunately we have been observing for some time – explains the oncologist Francesco Cognettipresident of the Federation of Oncologists, Cardiologists and Hematologists (Foce) – This is why we have developed education and information programs aimed at young people and adolescents”.
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Are we facing an emergency?
“A study published a few months ago in a prestigious international journal, the British Medical Journal Oncology, indicates that in recent years there has been an increase of more than 80 percent in tumors in people under the age of 50 . In 30 years, this incidence has increased by approximately 80 percent; from 2000 to 2019, the increase was approximately 13 – 14 percent. The progressive trend towards an increase in tumors in young people has therefore been known for some time.”
It’s a situation that doesn’t make you feel comfortable.
“The comforting aspect is that, despite an increase in incidence, mortality is certainly decreasing sharply due to earlier diagnoses. The latter, in reality, could also be one of the causes of the increase in incidence itself. The role of therapies is also fundamental for the treatment process, as they have completely changed over the last 30 years, i.e. they are better, newer, more modern and more effective”.
But what are the causes of this increase?
“For the moment, we can only make conjectures. Certainly, what has changed in recent years are lifestyles, especially recently the problem of overweight, obesity, a more sedentary working life, lack of physical activity, less balanced diets, with products that are packaged and rich in sugar: some unbalanced diets can in fact somehow alter the presence of the macrobiota which also has an important function in prevention. Let’s not forget that even the abnormal use of antibiotics can have the same negative effect. Among the risk factors there is cigarette smoking, which unfortunately is still increasingly frequent in women, and alcohol consumption. And then, without a doubt, hereditary genetic or familial conditions, which constitute an important portion of tumors in young people: normally, they constitute 5-10 percent of some of the most frequent tumors, and in this case they appear at a younger age. early”.
What about gastrointestinal tumors?
“The most dangerous tumors, i.e. with the worst prognosis, are those of the pancreas, liver and biliary tract, but also those of the stomach. Instead, intestinal cancer, if discovered early, has a good chance of recovery; however, if the diagnosis is late, and the presence of metastatic lymph nodes is observed, the disease is more difficult to treat. When adjuvant therapy is carried out, as in the case of Duchess Kate Middleton, it generally means that the operation has eradicated the tumor, and the treatment therefore has the aim of reducing the risk of recurrence”.
What are the symptoms that should cause alarm?
“For gastrointestinal cancers, the first sign is bleeding. It can also happen that the diagnosis is acute with intestinal obstruction, therefore abdominal pain and swelling. In the more advanced forms, ascites occurs, i.e. an accumulation of fluid of peritoneal origin in the abdomen due to the presence of metastatic lesions. Among the main symptoms, vomiting may also appear, especially in the case of stomach cancer.”
Are they all symptomatic, then?
“No. They could also be asymptomatic, and be diagnosed when, for example, a patient undergoes a screening colonoscopy and notices a tumor in the absence of any symptoms. In most cases, in fact, the tumor is asymptomatic in the initial phase. And in that case we can intervene more successfully.”
What treatments are possible today?
“It depends on the type of tumor. In general, surgery and chemotherapy are performed, but in some cases it is possible to treat the tumor with a combination of chemotherapy and other treatments. For gastrointestinal tumors, however, chemotherapy is carried out immediately, to allow for less invasive surgery, or more frequently after surgery to reduce the risk of disease recurrence.”
How is prevention possible?
“All young people should follow a correct lifestyle, but above all physical activity is fundamental. Then, you must not smoke, never drink spirits. As for wine, a maximum of two glasses a day for men, and only one glass for women, because they have less ability to metabolise. Never consume alcohol of any kind under the age of 16-18. Precisely to help understand the risks of developing forms of cancer, we have developed education and information programs also in schools and in all environments frequented by young people and adolescents. We had wonderful collaboration from CONI and the sports federations, often attended by young people and teenagers. The institutional authorities, however, could do more.”
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