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With advances in genetic research , screening procedures , and education , the battle against cancers of all types has seen considerable progress . Cancer mortality rates dropped one-third in the US alone between 1991 and 2021 , according to the American Cancer Society . Advances in health care averted more than 4 million deaths .
But a looming threat jeopardizes this progress : the incidence rates for six of the top 10 cancers have continued to rise , with the World Health Organization now predicting global rates could skyrocket by more than 75 percent by 2050 .
Wafik El-Deiry , MD , PhD , director of Brown ’ s Legorreta Cancer Center , notes that , for a nation like the US , the growth of an already large population has inevitably led to the increase of cancer rates and absolute cancer numbers . The ACS predicted there would be 2 million more new cancer cases in 2024 , primarily breast , prostate , pancreatic , melanoma , kidney , and endometrial , he says . Pinpointing the drivers of these increasing rates is uniquely challenging .
The urgency is exacerbated by significant increases in cancer among adults under 50 . According to the National Institutes of Health , early-onset cancer rates rose across the board from 2010 to 2019 in the US , with gastrointestinal cancer rates growing the fastest .
“ It ’ s a difficult problem because cancer is a disease of both environment and genetics ,” says El-Deiry , a practicing oncologist and the associate dean for oncologic sciences at
As cancer rates continue to climb , researchers in the Ocean State are trying to figure out why .
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Brown . “ Some people are predisposed to cancer , as they may inherit a mutated gene that ultimately predisposes them to specific and sometimes multiple types of cancer .”
While breakthroughs in genetics have yielded improved treatments , it isn ’ t as simple as turning researchers ’ attention to underlying genes . For instance , scientists understand the genes that can cause hereditary colon cancer . However , they don ’ t know exactly how additional , outside factors impact these genes and lead to early-onset development . Isolating these genes in a broad patient population isn ’ t as simple as picking them out of a line-up — researchers need to understand the precise mutations among specific genes and take into account contributing factors like the environment and the presence of other diseases that can cause other types of cancer .
“ That doesn ’ t mean it ’ s not being driven by genetics , but we will need more resources because finding genetic causes may not be so straightforward ,” says El-Deiry , who is also the Mencoff Family University Professor of Medical Science and a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine . “ We have some idea of what to look for and how to look for it .”
El-Deiry also points to environmental factors like second-hand smoke , air quality , and soil pollutants as potential contributors to cancer rates . Exposure to these contaminants , as well as various chemicals and radiation , create a broad swath of risk factors that makes it hard to establish a clear causality between any one known environmental factor and the rising incidence of cancer .
THREATS WITHIN AND WITHOUT When compared nationally , Rhode Island occupies some alarming spots in cancer rankings , like the highest bladder cancer rate per capita in the country . Areas like the Jewelry District in Providence face unique issues tied to their industrial past , as dyes , chemicals , and metals found their ways into the soil , El-Deiry says . Such industrial pollution may contribute to cancer rates , but research is still needed to establish a clear connection .
El-Deiry says scientists are also trying to account for links between cancer rates and microorganisms within the human body . We host billions of bacteria , fungi , and other microbes within our microbiomes , which can vary greatly to factors like diet and antibiotic use . Because of the
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