WASHINGTON: Gen-Xers are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than preceding generations, according to a new study published in JAMA Open Network. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute analyzed health records of 3.8 million individuals diagnosed with malignant cancer in the U.S. from 1992 to 2018. They compared cancer rates among Generation X (born between 1965-1980) and baby boomers (born between 1946-1964).
Computer modeling indicated that when Gen-X reaches age 60, starting in 2025, they will have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with invasive cancer compared to earlier generations, including baby boomers. The researchers observed that “Generation X is experiencing larger per-capita increases in the incidence of leading cancers as compared to any previous generation born from 1908 through 1964.”
“For the very first time since the Greatest Generation, we have a generation with a higher rate of cancer than their parents. It is Gen-X,” stated by F. Perry Wilson, MD, director of the Clinical and Translational Research Accelerator at Yale University in New Haven, CT. Wilson is also a columnist for Medscape, WebMD’s sister site for healthcare professionals.
The researchers were surprised by these findings despite initiatives to reduce cancer, such as anti-smoking campaigns and increased screenings for colon, rectal, and breast cancers. The study suggested that factors like obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and more early detection might be contributing to the higher cancer rates in Gen-X.
“The key to understanding this study is recognizing that while age is a major cancer risk factor, exposure to potential carcinogens varies by social generation,” Wilson explained. “A fifty-year old today was exposed to a fundamentally different set of potential carcinogens compared to someone who was 50 in 1980.”
