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A new study, published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine<\/a>, found that a rare form of cancer \u2013 appendix cancer, or appendiceal adenocarcinoma \u2013 is as much as three times as common among Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, as it is among those born in the \u201940s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But for older millennials who were born in the \u201980s (millennials were born between 1981-1996), the rates were more than four times higher. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The NHS\u2019s Health Research Authority describes<\/a> appendix cancer as a \u201crare and understudied\u201d disease, with the Christie NHS Foundation Trust<\/a> explaining it accounts for 0.4% of all cancers of the bowel. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n But what is appendix cancer, how do you spot it, and why might it be on the rise?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Appendiceal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of appendix cancer, can often develop \u201cwithout developing symptoms,\u201d the Cleveland Clinic shares<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Because it can be so hard to spot, it is sometimes described as a \u201csilent\u201d cancer<\/a> in its early stages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Often, people only notice signs when the tumours have spread; the NHS say<\/a> that it is often only spotted during surgery. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Some symptoms that may occur, however, include: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Speak to your GP immediately if you notice signs of appendix cancer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This study did not seek to find out why different generations have different rates of appendix cancer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But it is not the only cancer which has followed a similar generational pattern \u2013 bowel<\/a> and breast cancer<\/a>, for instance, are both affecting more and more young people while rates among older people stay roughly stable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Speaking to the New York Times<\/a>, gastroenterologist and colon cancer expert Dr Andrew T. Chan, who was not involved in the study, suggested that some changes to our diet over time might be responsible for the uptick in bowel cancers. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n But it is hard to say more about appendix cancer, which is already a poorly understood condition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cancer expert Professor Andreana Holowaty told the publication<\/a> that the rise does not seem to be caused by an increase in diagnoses, however, not least because the disease is so hard to spot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cSimilar trends have been reported for other gastrointestinal cancers, suggestive of a potential shared cause contributing to this increasing cancer burden across generations,\u201d the paper reads<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAppendix cancer can be hard to diagnose <\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Why would appendix cancer be on the rise among younger people?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n