The Rising Tide of Early Onset Cancer

The number of people under 50 being diagnosed with cancer has risen dramatically in recent decades. Many cases cannot be explained by a family history of disease or any lifestyle factors—such as smoking, drinking or unhealthy foods—that would otherwise put the individuals at a higher risk. Explaining this rise in early-onset cancer has therefore presented a conundrum. But clues are now emerging—is there some kind of exposure in the environment that could perhaps explain some of the cases?

Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Ann Young, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s; Mike Stratton of the Wellcome Sanger Institute; Slavea Chankova, The Economist’s health-care correspondent. Thanks also to Meg Bernhard, who wrote about Ann’s story in The Economist.

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