Experts have warned that young people should be extremely vigilant for signs of a deadly cancer that is rising sharply in people under 50 - and it's not colon cancer.
Cases of appendix cancer among Americans in their thirties have increased by 71 percent over the past two decades, a recent study showed.
The research, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that the millennial generation, aged 29 to 44, is now the age group most affected by this cancer, which kills half of patients with advanced disease within five years.
Experts from Vanderbilt University in Nashville suggested that this increase could be linked to lifestyle factors, such as increasingly poor diets.
But medical professionals and activists have warned the public to be wary of signs of this disease, which can be easily confused with common digestive upsets.
In a TikTok video, Dr. Ryan Ince, a general practitioner from Texas, said that bloating and chronic abdominal pain are warning signs that can help detect this disease in its earliest stages.
However, he warned that most patients are diagnosed at more advanced stages, when the cancer may have affected the liver, causing difficulty breathing, a flushed face and diarrhea.
The appendix is a small sac of tissue attached to the intestine on the right side of the abdomen.
This organ is part of the intestinal tract and helps remove waste from the body. Although its exact function is unknown, researchers say it may help support the immune system.
However, this organ can also produce cancerous cells that begin to divide uncontrollably, forming tumors.
These can develop either from the cells lining the appendix, or from chemical substances involved in digestion.
In many cases, cancer is only diagnosed when doctors remove the appendix, suspecting appendicitis – inflammation and infection of the appendix.
If cancer is caught early, patients have an optimistic 67 to 97 percent chance of surviving more than five years after diagnosis.
But for those diagnosed only at stages three or four, when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, survival rates drop significantly, with studies estimating around 50 percent.
The disease can spread to different parts of the abdomen, causing severe pain.
Cancer can also lead to a burst appendix, a very dangerous condition that can cause serious complications, including sepsis, the NHS warns.
Rebecca Hind, from Cumbria, was diagnosed with the disease in 2019, aged 33, after suffering from severe stomach pains, which she initially blamed on food poisoning.
She faced years of painful surgeries to remove 13 organs, more than eight grueling rounds of chemotherapy, and a medically induced menopause at just 35 years old.
Unfortunately, the latest treatment failed to keep the disease under control and doctors have told him that the cancer is now terminal.
Although it is not yet entirely clear why there is such an increase in cases of appendix cancer, researchers describe what is called the "birth generation effect" - where a disease becomes more common in younger generations compared to older ones.
The idea is that people born after a certain period have been exposed to environmental factors that older generations have not had.
Overall, the study found that millennials born between 1981 and 1996 are up to seven times more likely to be diagnosed with this cancer than those of the so-called "Silent Generation" (43 to 80 years old).
The researchers suggested that known risk factors for colon cancer – such as obesity, diet, alcohol and smoking – may also play a role in appendix cancer.
They said: “Known risk factors for colon and rectal cancer, including childhood experiences, environmental exposures, anthropometric and lifestyle factors (e.g. obesity, diet, alcohol and tobacco), as well as the interaction between these factors and genetic characteristics, may also contribute to appendiceal cancer.”
The slight increase in cases of this disease appears to be occurring faster than that of colon cancer.
Among adults aged 20 to 39, it is estimated that cases have increased by two percent per year on average.
For those aged 30 to 39, cases have increased by five percent per year overall.
However, over the past 30 years, colon cancer diagnoses in young people have increased by 80 percent globally, according to research.
Every year in the UK there are around 2,600 new cases of colon cancer in people aged 25-49.
The symptoms of this disease are similar to those of appendix cancer, but may also include blood in the stool.
This disease kills almost 17,000 people in the UK each year, while the death toll in the US reaches around 50,000.
Overall, just over half of colon cancer patients are expected to be alive ten years after diagnosis. /Express newspaper/
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