Cancer Rates Are Rising Significantly In Women Under 50—Here’s Why

Worldwide, cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and millions of cases are diagnosed every year. Not only is this disconcerting news, but what’s even scarier is that cancer rates, in women under 50 specifically, are rising. Here’s why.

Risk Factors

Stop smoking, wear sunscreen, work out every day, get annual mammograms…it feels like, as the rate of certain cancers increases year-to-year, our methods of prevention increase as well. What’s more, it’s disheartening to know that an individual can be as careful as possible when it comes to things like sun exposure or smoking, and still end up being diagnosed with some form of cancer.

We think of cancer as an elderly person’s disease, or a box we check under our family medical history at the doctor’s office. However, diagnosis of early-onset cancer, or a diagnosis before the age of 50, is becoming more and more prevalent, especially in women. Though men are typically more prone to receive cancer diagnoses than women, that statistic is seeing a reverse, especially when it comes to early onset cases. Now, women are more likely to be not only diagnosed with cancer as opposed to men, but to die from it as well.

Researchers examined cancer diagnoses going back 30 years alongside certain risk factors and found what they describe as an increase in cancer diagnoses in birth cohorts, meaning that the prevalence of cancer increases with each new generation. This indicates that younger and younger people are being diagnosed with cancer. While this may partly be due to genetics and the patient’s biology, there are also lifestyle factors found in childhood that make an individual more susceptible to the disease later in life. Because of this, we now know that cancer prevention measures have to start earlier.

Women are more likely to be not only diagnosed with cancer as opposed to men, but also to die from it.

The types of cancers which are seeing an increase are concerning as well. Research from the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard observed an uptick in cancers like colorectal, premenopausal breast, esophageal, liver, kidney, pancreatic, stomach, thyroid, and endometrial. The same research cited “diet, lifestyle, weight, environmental exposures, and microbiome” issues as contributing factors. 

Prevention Measures

If we’re in our twenties, thirties, or even forties, cancer is likely not on our radar. But one surgeon in Meriden, Connecticut has admitted to seeing breast cancer patients as young as 25. Breast cancer is now the most common type of cancer seen in women ages 20 to 49.

Once we’re aware of these risk factors, we can begin to take more effective preventative measures. The early-onset study cited a list of factors that are strongly associated with an increased risk of cancer, specifically, “childhood obesity, high fat ‘Western’ diet and drinking too many sugary drinks, lack of physical activity, smoking, adolescent binge drinking, changes in sleep pattern and not meeting sleep guidelines, exposure to pollution and other airborne carcinogens, excess antibiotic use, use of birth control pills, [and] gut microbiome composition growing up.”

It’s safe to say there’s a lot to unpack there, but the bottom line seems to be that cancer prevention starts young. Getting some form of physical activity is crucial, in addition to getting adequate amounts of sleep and adhering to a nutrient-dense diet. As women, we should also be mindful of our birth control usage, and what alternatives are out there that fit our needs as individuals. However you look at it, mitigating these risks are not just steps toward cancer prevention, but a healthier life overall.

There are childhood lifestyle factors that make you more susceptible to cancer later in life. 

Take Stock of Your Lifestyle

A genetic predisposition for cancer is one thing, and that definitely means the odds are already stacked against us. But as with any aspect of our health, our well-being is oftentimes in our own hands and within our power to change.

Our culture might have its own set of standards on what’s “healthy” and what isn’t, and our media has implemented an insidious form of gaslighting when it comes to both physical and mental health and wellness. It’s hard to be told that morbid obesity is somehow healthy, or that eating fast food every day won’t kill us. It’s also hard (and bad for us, more importantly) to be told that we’re never in the wrong and we’re the victims of every misfortune that befalls us. But having this kind of mindset voluntarily robs us of the most important thing we have as humans, the characteristic which sets us apart from all other beings: agency.

We always have a choice when it comes to how we eat, what we drink, whether or not we’re active, how many hours we spend watching TV, how we spend our time, and how we’re working to better our own lives. It doesn’t have to take something as serious as a possible cancer diagnosis to get us out of our own way.

You might get four hours of sleep every night, thrive on processed food, alcohol, and illicit or prescription drugs, be stuck in a toxic feedback loop of social media therapy, and think you’re in the best shape of your life because all of these things make you feel good. But as many of us know, if we don’t start taking care of ourselves, our bodies will eventually force us to, and they might do so in ways we never expected. 

Closing Thoughts

An honest approach to health and well-being doesn’t have to be complex. In reality, there are basic fundamentals that we all know to be true: Exercise is good. Fast food every day isn’t healthy. Stress should be managed. Sleep is necessary. Limiting certain things can only benefit you. 

A frightening diagnosis can be the wakeup call many need to take a hard look at themselves, but what if we could choose only the wakeup call instead? Take stock of your lifestyle, and whatever the results, know that it’s never too late to effect positive change in your own life.

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