Increasing Burden of Early-Onset Appendiceal Cancer

Andreana Holowatyj, PhD, MSCI, assistant professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, Epidemiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses the rationale for her research on the growing increase of early-onset appendiceal cancer in the United States.

Between the year 2000 and 2016, the incidence of malignant appendiceal cancer increased by 232% with rates rising from older to younger generations.

Because of this, Holowatyj and other experts from a research program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center aimed to examine the distinct disease burden of early-onset cancer, including biology, disparities, and survivorship. Their goal was to further understand this distinct disease burden for early-onset cancers.

Transcription:

0:08 | There is a rising disease burden for early-onset cancers, which are cancers diagnosed among adults aged 18 to 49 years sort of across the board. We're seeing an increased incidence of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, or multiple other obesity related cancers. Many have likely heard about the increasing incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer, which has garnered much attention with the recent recommendations to lower the screening right to age 40 years for individuals at average risk. In early 2020, there was an elegant study that was published demonstrating that among patients of all ages diagnosed with malignant appendiceal cancers.

0:52 | We've seen an increase of incidence rates about 232% in the United States between 2002, 2010, 2016 and we are seeing some of these rates rise from older to younger generations. With my research program at Vanderbilt, we're focused on the distinct disease burden of early-onset cancers, including biology, disparities and survivorship. This was an intriguing observation for us, particularly given the rates of appendectomies, which often lead to a diagnosis of incidental appendix cancer, remained stable over this time period. We wanted to create the fields of early-onset appendix cancer to really understand this distinct disease burden.