The increase isn’t limited to one type of cancer.
“We’re seeing this increase in early onset cancers across the spectrum of cancers, for example, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, endocrine cancer, and uterine cancer,” says Yale Medicine medical oncologist Veda N. Giri, MD, director of the Early Onset Cancer Program. “This rise is across a spectrum of cancer types and really deserves to be looked at as a broad issue.”
Researchers don’t yet know exactly what is driving the rise. Possible factors being studied include environmental exposures and lifestyle factors, such as diet. Inherited genetic factors may also play a role. Some cancers run in families, and certain inherited gene changes can raise a person’s risk at a younger age
One area Yale Cancer Center researchers are studying is the gut microbiome, the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract.
“The microbiome is connected with immune regulation,” says Dr. Giri, who is also a professor of internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine. “This immune regulation is important as surveillance for finding cancer cells, getting rid of them or even keeping them in check.”
Because diet shapes the gut microbiome, Dr. Giri says this research could help explain how diet may influence cancer risk.
