Increase of obesity-related cancers in younger Canadians: report

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Ottawa, Nov 19 (Canadian-Media): Obesity among young Canadians was found to be a major factor in increasing rates of cancer, new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported, which looked at nearly media reports said.

Obesity Canada. Image credit: Facebook Page

The researchers for this massive study took into consideration nearly 5.2 million cases of cancer diagnosed in Canada between 1971 and 2015, and examined trends by age and sex.

Obesity was also found to be the risk factor for breast, colorectal, pancreatic, endometrial and kidney cancer.  

Last four decades have shown increased number of Canadians with a body mass index of 35 or higher. Proper diet and medication, says the study can control obesity.

Another worrisome trend identified by the study was cancer in men and women under the age of 50.   

This study's importance is also due to the fact that current guidelines do not recommend screening of younger patients for some cancers. For instance, most provinces do not offer breast cancer screening to women in their 40s which means if cancers in younger patients are diagnosed at a later stage, these become less treatable. 

In the case of breast cancer, the increased incidence in young women has also been observed in the U.S. and Europe.

Besides obesity,  other likely risk factors in young women developing breast cancer include the trend for girls to begin having periods at a younger age, as well as increased use of oral contraceptives to delay having their first child. ​