(NewsNation) — Though appendix cancer remains rare, cases are quickly rising among America’s younger adults, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal.
Researchers analyzed the National Cancer Institute database and found incidences of appendix cancer rose among millennials and Gen Xers.
Cases have quadrupled among millennials compared to those born in the 1940s, the study found.
People born in the mid-1980s are four times more likely to be diagnosed with appendix cancer compared to those born in the 1940s, and one-third of all new cases are among patients under 50 years old.
There are just 3,000 cases of appendix cancer each year — significantly less than 1% of the population, the Cleveland Clinic said — but despite overall rarity, one expert said the disease’s demographic surge is significant.
Family physician Dr. Brintha Vasagar told NewsNation the diagnosis rates are likely not just due to better diagnoses or increased appendectomies. Medical experts are seeking out other potential causes — like obesity or environmental factors.
“We do notice that the trend happened to change in 1945, so very specific,” Vasagar said. “So, we start wondering what things changed in 1945, which could be impacting our overall health. Things like our diet, ultraprocessed foods, our water safety, microplastics, all of these things in our environment that we’re hearing more and more about.”
Cancers are on the rise in people under 50, particularly colorectal, pancreatic, breast and gastrointestinal cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.