Rising incidence of obesity-related cancers among younger adults in China: A population-based analysis (2007-2021)
Chang Liu1, Ying-Chao Yuan1, Mo-Ning Guo2
1Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China; Beijing Diabetes Institute, Beijing 100730, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Diabetes Research and Care, Laboratory for Clinical Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
Background:
Developing countries face an "obesity epidemic," particularly affecting children and younger adults. While obesity is a known risk factor for 12 types of cancer, primarily affecting older populations, its impact on younger generations is understudied.
Methods:
This study analyzed data from a population-based cancer registry covering 14.14 million individuals in China (2007-2021). We compared the incidence of obesity- and non-obesity-related cancers and applied an age-period-cohort model to estimate their impacts.
Findings:
Among 651,342 cancer cases, 48.47% were obesity related. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) of the 12 obesity-related cancers increased annually by 3.6% (p < 0.001), while ASRs for non-obesity-related cancers remained stable. Obesity-related cancers surged among younger adults, with rates rising across successive generations. The annual percentage of change decreased with age, from 15.28% for ages 25-29 years to 1.55% for ages 60-64 years. The incidence rate ratio for obesity-related cancer was higher in younger generations compared to those born in 1962-1966. We predict that the ASR for obesity-related cancers will nearly double in the next decade.
Conclusions:
The rising incidence of obesity-related cancers among young adults poses a significant public health concern. The increasing cancer burden underscores the need for targeted interventions to address the obesity epidemic.
Funding:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81930019, 82341076) to J.-K.Y.
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