Reducing the global cancer burden among young adults
A partir des données du Centre international de recherche sur le cancer, cette étude analyse, selon les pays, l'incidence de cancer chez les jeunes adultes âgés de 20 à 39 ans et la mortalité spécifique pour l'année 2012 (975 396 nouveaux cas de cancer, 358 392 décès par cancer)
In The Lancet Oncology, Miranda M Fidler and colleagues1 provide estimates for cancer incidence and mortality among young adults (aged 20–39) worldwide. These estimates were categorised by country income and development level (Human Development Index, HDI), thus affording investigators the opportunity to compare across cancer types. This important study establishes a contemporary global burden of cancer in young adults—975 396 new cancer cases and 358 392 cancer-related deaths in 2012. The authors provide the foundation necessary for a call to action for clinicians, policy makers, and researchers focused on reducing the substantial burden that cancer afflicts upon young adults. So, what can we do?
By contrast with several cancers that have a peak incidence in later adulthood, there are few opportunities for cancer screening. The notable exception is cervical cancer screening. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in young adults worldwide, accounting for 11·4% of cancers. Although cervical cancer is prevalent across different HDI levels, low-HDI countries are particularly vulnerable. Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that could be largely eradicated with prevention (HPV vaccination) and screening. Unfortunately, even in very high-HDI regions, cervical cancer remains one of the top five causes of cancer death in young adults, highlighting the failures of our current policies and approaches (...)
The Lancet Oncology , commentaire en libre accès, 2016