> Diagnosis rates in the U.S. rose in 2019 to 107.8 cases per 100,000 people under 50, up 12.8% from 95.6 in 2000, federal data show. A study in BMJ Oncology last year reported a sharp global rise in cancers in people under 50, with the highest rates in North America, Australia and Western Europe.
This is a relatively small increase over ~25 years. How much of it is due to cases like the highlighted one (which is tragic, but clearly driven by symptoms), vs increased screening?
The US "standard" age for colonoscopy, for example, was recently dropped from 50 to 45...without really good evidence (essentially, just "updated models") [1]. This inevitably leads to higher rates of false positives in younger people. Over-treatment is a real risk in places like the US, where there are financial incentives to treat.
[1] old guidelines: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recomme...
new guidelines: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recomme...
This is a relatively small increase over ~25 years. How much of it is due to cases like the highlighted one (which is tragic, but clearly driven by symptoms), vs increased screening?
The US "standard" age for colonoscopy, for example, was recently dropped from 50 to 45...without really good evidence (essentially, just "updated models") [1]. This inevitably leads to higher rates of false positives in younger people. Over-treatment is a real risk in places like the US, where there are financial incentives to treat.
[1] old guidelines: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recomme...
new guidelines: https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recomme...