Cancer rates on the rise among women under 50

Cancer has long been considered a condition that often occurs in older adults. However, a recent American Cancer Society (ACS) report shows that’s changing, especially among young women.

The research, published in the January 2025 Cancer Facts and Figures report, shows both positive and concerning trends: Overall, cancer deaths are down, but the number of women and young adults being diagnosed with cancer is up.

“The most common type of cancer we see among women is breast cancer, and that is where we’re seeing increases in cases,” says Dr. Andrew Bruggeman, a radiation oncologist and co-medical director of the Douglas & Nancy Barnhart Cancer Center at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. “The second most common is lung cancer, which has been decreasing over time, followed by colorectal cancer and then uterine cancer.”

What did the report show?

According to Dr. Bruggeman, the American Cancer Society's latest cancer report shows a shift, as more women and young adults are being diagnosed with cancer. Cancer cases in women ages 50 to 64 have surpassed those in men in the same age group. What’s more, cancer rates in women under 50 are 82% higher than their male counterparts, up from 51% in 2002.

Different factors, he says, from better screening to environmental exposures, may be contributing to the rise.

“Anytime we’re talking about cancer, there are going to be a lot of factors that could be at play,” Dr. Bruggeman says. “One that may be important to note is an increased focus on beginning mammogram screening at an earlier age. When we screen women at younger ages, naturally, we’re going to find more cancers.”

Other factors the report and Dr. Bruggeman say could play a part in the overall rise in breast cancer cases — in all ages, not just young women — include:

• Smoking

• Alcohol consumption

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Obesity

• Environmental factors

• Declining fertility rates

“One of the other things the scientists pointed to in the study is that overall, we're seeing declining fertility rates in the U.S. and people having children at older ages or not at all, which increases their lifetime estrogen exposure,” Dr. Bruggeman says. “We know through decades of research that excess exposure to estrogen increases the risk for breast cancer.”

Is this report cause for concern?

“The report does sound alarming at first glance,” Dr. Bruggeman says. “But it’s important to keep in mind that the study also pointed out that between 1991 and 2022, the overall mortality from cancer has gone down by 34%, so I think what we're really seeing is seeing that more people are being screened for cancer and we're catching things earlier.”

However, the report showed that troubling racial disparities persist. For example, the survival rate of uterine cancer in Black women is 63% compared with 84% in white women. Black men and women also face some of the highest death rates from prostate and breast cancer, respectively.

“We know racial disparities exist nationwide, and our work must continue to close gaps in screening and care,” Dr. Bruggeman says. “As cancer-treating physicians, our most fervent desire is to make screening and treatment equal among all people, no matter their race or socioeconomic status.”

Dr. Bruggeman adds that the most important thing people should do to reduce their risk is to get age-appropriate screenings. “For women, that’s mammograms beginning at age 40, pap smears starting at age 21 and colorectal cancer screening at age 45,” he says.

Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center is offering a free Preventive Cancer Screenings and Health Fair on Saturday, March 1. Breast and cervical cancer screenings will be offered at no cost for patients who qualify. Learn more and register at sharp.com/cancerscreening.