President emeritus of Jackson Laboratory discusses cancer rates in younger adults

BRITBOX. DOT COM. WELCOME BACK. SO, ESTIMATES FROM THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY SHOW THAT OF THE MORE THAN 2 MILLION NEW CANCER CASES EXPECTED THIS YEAR IN OUR COUNTRY, NEARLY 100,000 OF THOSE WILL BE IN NEW ENGLAND. AND OVER THE YEARS, RESEARCHERS HAVE NOTICED A TREND OF INCREASING CANCER RATES IN ADULTS UNDER THE AGE OF 50. JOINING US LIVE NOW TO DISCUSS THIS, DOCTOR EDISON LIU, PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF THE JACKSON LAB IN BAR HARBOR, MAINE. DOCTOR LIU, A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. THIS SOUNDS CONCERNING. WHAT ARE RESEARCHERS LOOKING AT HERE WHEN IT COMES TO YOUNGER ADULTS AND THESE ESCALATING CANCER RATES? YEAH, WE ARE VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS SINCE MID 1990S. AND IT'S CONTINUED CANCER IS A DISEASE FUNDAMENTALLY OF OLDER INDIVIDUALS, USUALLY ABOVE 60. AND IN FACT ABOUT 95% OF CANCERS IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN FOR INDIVIDUALS OVER, OVER 60, OVER 50. BUT WHAT WE'VE SEEN SINCE 1995 IS THE PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CANCERS. IT'S THE SAME KIND OF CANCERS THAT SHOULD ONLY OCCUR IN OLDER INDIVIDUALS MOVING DOWN TO YOUNGER, WHICH IS UNDER 50. AND IN FACT, SINCE ABOUT THE LATE 1990S, THE THE THE RATE OF CANCERS IN THE YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS THAT IS UNDER 50 HAS INCREASED BY 79%. DOCTOR LIU, DOES THE RESEARCH SHOW A MORE COMMON TYPE OF CANCER AMONG THOSE UNDER 50? OR IS THAT AGE GROUP EXPERIENCING JUST A WIDE RANGING ARRAY OF THE DISEASE? HERE IT'S A WIDE RANGE, BUT, UM, PRIMARILY THEY ARE THE WHAT WE CALL THE GI TRACT. THAT IS COLON, STOMACH, UM, MORE LUNG CANCERS, MORE BREAST CANCERS AS WELL. BUT THESE ARE CANCERS THAT ARE PRIMARILY IN THE OLDER INDIVIDUALS, BUT THEY'RE SHIFTING DOWN INTO YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS. AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF TRACK THE, THE THE MOLECULAR CONFIGURATION OF THESE CANCERS TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOT A DIFFERENT CLASS OF CANCERS. THEY'RE THE SAME CLASS, BUT OCCURRING IN THE YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS. SO OBVIOUSLY THE QUESTION IF YOU KNOW THAT THESE CANCERS ARE INCREASING AND RATES IN YOUNGER PEOPLE, DO WE KNOW WHY? YET AND WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS INFORMATION. RIGHT. IT'S A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION. AND WE HAVE SOME TREMENDOUS TOOLS, MOLECULAR TOOLS, GENOMIC TOOLS. AND THAT'S BEEN APPLIED TO A NUMBER OF THESE CANCERS. AND THAT'S WHY WE KNOW THAT THE CONFIGURATION OF THESE CANCERS RESEMBLE ONES THAT ARE OLDER. THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE THING. THE SECOND IS THAT THE EPIDEMIOLOGY ARTISTS HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THIS VERY ASSIDUOUSLY. AND WHAT WE'RE FINDING IS THAT IT'S LIKELY NOW THESE ARE ALL CORRELATE, BUT IT'S LIKELY TO BE CERTAIN LIFESTYLE CHANGES THAT WE'VE SEEN THAT WE KNOW HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH WITH CANCERS. AND AMONGST THE THE OLDER INDIVIDUALS AND THE EXPOSURES OF THESE PROBABLY OCCURRED IN ADOLESCENCE. UH, AND THIS IS OBESITY, REDUCED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND VERY MUCH THE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, WHICH HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED IN YOUNGER ADULTS, PROBABLY HAS MADE A, A AN IMPACT ON THE RATE OF CANCERS. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR LIU FROM THE JACKSON LABORATO

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President emeritus of Jackson Laboratory discusses cancer rates in younger adults

Estimates from the American Cancer Society show more than two million new cancer cases are expected this year in the U.S., and nearly 100,000 of those will be in New England. Over the years, researchers have noticed a trend of increasing cancer rates in adults under the age of 50. In the video above, Dr. Edison Liu, president emeritus of The Jackson Laboratory, joins to explain a little about what researchers are looking into when it comes to younger adults and cancer rates.

Estimates from the American Cancer Society show more than two million new cancer cases are expected this year in the U.S., and nearly 100,000 of those will be in New England.

Over the years, researchers have noticed a trend of increasing cancer rates in adults under the age of 50.

In the video above, Dr. Edison Liu, president emeritus of The Jackson Laboratory, joins to explain a little about what researchers are looking into when it comes to younger adults and cancer rates.