Ilyas Sahin: Are Cancer Cases Really Exploding?
Ilyas Sahin, Medical Oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, shared a post on X:
“ ‘Are cancer cases really exploding? It depends how you look at the data.’
I asked AI to scan the literature and create a simple graph combining:
- Total cancer incidence
- Age-adjusted cancer incidence
- Life expectancy
The pattern is clear:
- Total cancer cases are rising, mostly because more people are living longer and reaching ages where cancer is naturally more common.
- But age-adjusted cancer rates are stable or slightly declining, thanks to better prevention, detection, and treatment.
At the same time, some cancers in younger adults—like GI cancers—are truly increasing, likely due to environmental and lifestyle factors.
That’s a separate trend from the aging-related rise in overall cancer cases.
Bottom line: We see more cancer today not just because of new risks, but because modern medicine is helping people live longer—and survive cancer better (The decline in age-adjusted mortality is attributed to better therapies, more effective screening, and supportive care).
Aging is the biggest risk factor for cancer, and more people are reaching that risk window.
Graph generated using AI to reflect global trends—not from a single paper. It’s meant to simplify the big picture, not replace detailed epidemiologic data.”
More posts featuring Ilyas Sahin.
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Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
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ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
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ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
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Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
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OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023