Alert for the unexpected increase in appendix cancer cases between millennials and generation X
Appendix cancer is a rare type of cancer that develops in appendix cells, a small bag of fabric in the abdomen.
Most cases (benign or malignant tumors) are diagnosed after undergoing surgical intervention by acute appendicitis or when an abdominal mass is observed during a computed tomography (TC) by an unrelated process.
The tumor size is directly related to the prognosis of this rare cancer whose incidence is increasing.
A new study published in “Annals of Internal Medicine” estimated the incidence rates of appendicular adenocarcinoma, or appendix cancer, in different birth cohorts in the United States.
The researchers observed a marked increase in the incidence rates of this cancer in those born after 1945, particularly in generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and millennials (born between 1981 and 1996).
These patterns suggest the need for timely etiological investigation and greater awareness of this cancer between doctors and the general public.
Specifically, researchers at the Medical Center of the University of Vanderbilt used the SEER program (surveillance, epidemiology and final results) of the National Cancer Institute to estimate the specific incidence rates by age of appendicular adenocarcinoma per 100,000 people in periods of five years between 1975 and 2019.
The researchers created 21 birth cohorts and estimated the incidence rates in relation to a 1945 birth cohort.
In total, they identified 4,858 people of 20 years or more who were diagnosed with an appendicular adenocarcinoma confirmed pathologically (non -mucinous, mucinous carcinoma, of caliciform cells or cells in seal ring).
The investigators found that the specific appendix cancer rates increased over time, and the incidence rates tripled by far between The 1980 birth cohort and quadrupled between the 1985 birth cohort.
This pattern was reflected in all histological subtypes of this cancer, however, the magnitude varied. The increase in incidence rates was especially large between generation X and millennials.
Because the incidence rates in younger generations are usually indicative of the load of future disease, the findings suggest the need to conduct specific histological research of appendix cancer, as well as greater consciousness.