While the historical perception of cancer is of a disease primarily associated with older populations, the incidence of early-onset cancers has been increasing over recent decades.

Increased incidence of early-onset cancers, defined as cancers in adults under age 50, has been reported not only around the world but also for various cancer sites. Indeed, many cancers, including colorectal, breast, gastric, and pancreatic cancers, traditionally thought to be more common in older adults, are now being diagnosed increasingly in younger adults as well.

Early-onset cancers are the focus of the session Early-onset Cancers: Challenges and Opportunities for Prevention and Treatment at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024. The Advances in Population Sciences session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, from 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. PT in Room 14 on the mezzanine level of the San Diego Convention Center.

Yin Cao, ScD, MPH, associate professor of surgery at Washington University, who is chair of the session, said, “This is a very exciting session supported by the Population Sciences Working Group of the AACR, and the goal [of the session] is to introduce the advances, challenges, as well as opportunities for both prevention and treatment of early-onset cancers.”

Cao said the session will cover global trends in early-onset cancers, then focus primarily on two cancers—colorectal and breast cancer—to brief attendees on the current status of risk-factor identification, molecular signatures, prevention strategies, and treatment approaches.

Cao added, “I think it is very important to note that we are seeing higher and higher cancer risk in younger generations. As a community dedicated to cancer prevention and control, we need to be not only fully aware of this trend but also work together to develop a strategy to combat this rapid change in the landscape of cancer epidemiology.”

While older age remains a significant factor associated with increased cancer risk, the full gamut of underlying mechanisms and etiological factors associated with the increase in early-onset cancers is yet to be elucidated. Some evidence suggests that early- versus later-onset cancers may differ in clinicopathologic features and outcomes and likely also in molecular profiles. In colorectal cancer, for instance, younger patients typically present with descending colon or rectal cancer, advanced stage, and unfavorable histopathological features, compared to older patients.

“The overall goal of the session is to bring into focus some conceptual as well as methodological challenges that the field [of early-onset cancer] is currently facing, which need to be tackled to bring the field forward,” Cao said.

She also highlighted the importance of innovative, collaborative, and potentially inclusive research efforts that are needed to close evidence gaps and guide prevention efforts. Cao’s research incorporates novel high-throughput technologies into collaborative population-based/clinical studies, for querying the causes and biomarkers of sporadic cancers among younger adults.

Cao thinks this session would be of interest and significance to all AACR Annual Meeting attendees.

“We will make the session accessible to researchers from various fields who are new to early-onset, colorectal, or breast cancers as well as patients and the general public,” she said. “The goal is to inspire discussions and collaborations among population science researchers, basic scientists, physicians, patient advocates, and particularly early-career investigators and trainees, as this last group will be the ones who are going to advance the field in the next decade.”