A collection of Nature articles points to a rise in cancer incidence and different responses by countries. The data shows a marked increase in some types of cancer at a young age, but the reasons are still unclear: lifestyle, obesity, diet, early detection, environmental exposure and regulation all come into play
A Nature Index collection of articles published in April 2026 places the rise in cancer incidence as one of the key challenges facing global health systems. According to Nature, various countries are responding to this rise with national cancer control programs, expanding early detection programs, and improving diagnostic and treatment systems. However, the challenge is not just to increase the number of tests, but to do so in a targeted, efficient, and equitable manner, without overwhelming the system with unnecessary tests and overdiagnosis.Nature)
Data from the United States illustrates the scale of the problem. According to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts & Figures 2026 report, in the United States, about 2.11 million new cancer cases and about 626 cancer deaths are expected in 2026. At the same time, survival rates have improved greatly thanks to early diagnosis and new treatments, but not all types of cancer behave in the same way. Some types of cancer are decreasing in rate, mainly due to a decrease in smoking or improved screening tests, and some types are showing a disturbing increase.
The most notable increase: Cancer at a young age
One of the main focuses of the Nature collection is cancer that appears before the age of 50. Nature notes that the increase in the number of people diagnosed under the age of 50 increases the pressure to advance screening tests for breast cancer, colon cancer and other types of cancer, but warns that sweeping expansion of screening may also cause harm, such as overdiagnosis, anxiety, unnecessary treatments and a burden on health systems.
An NIH study published in 2025 found that between 2010 and 2019, the incidence of 14 types of cancer increased in the United States among people under the age of 50. However, the incidence of 19 other types of cancer decreased during the same period, so the overall rate of cancer cases at a young age did not increase as a whole. The increase was particularly noticeable in several types: breast cancer, colorectal cancer, kidney cancer, uterine cancer, pancreatic cancer, and some types of lymphoma.cancer.gov)
A global study reviewed in the Harvard Gazette also found that six types of cancer are rising faster among young people than among adults in at least five countries: colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and multiple myeloma. For two types, colorectal cancer and uterine cancer, some countries have also seen an increase in mortality at a young age, not just an increase in diagnosis.Harvard gazette)
Colon cancer is the most alarming example. According to the American Cancer Society, while the incidence of colon cancer in the general population in the United States decreased by about one percent per year from 2013 to 2022, among those under 50 it increased by 2.9 percent per year. Mortality among those under 55 has also increased by about one percent per year since the mid-2000s.
So why is this happening??
There is no single answer. Some of the increase is explained by earlier diagnosis, expanded screening tests, and improved awareness. When you look harder, you find more. This is especially true for breast cancer, thyroid cancer, prostate cancer, and some skin cancers. But this explanation is not enough, especially in cases where mortality is also increasing or when the cancer is detected in advanced stages.
The main suspect today is a profound change in lifestyle. Being overweight, a diet high in processed foods, less physical activity, type 2 diabetes, alcohol consumption, smoking, changes in the gut microbiome, exposure to antibiotics and environmental factors early in life are all being investigated as possible causes. According to the American Cancer Society, more than half of colon cancer cases in the United States are linked to modifiable risk factors, including being overweight, inactivity, smoking, high alcohol consumption and a diet high in red or processed meat and low in fiber.
Uterine cancer is also clearly linked to obesity and inactivity. According to an ACS report, about 60% of uterine cancer cases are attributed to excess weight and insufficient physical activity, and are therefore considered largely preventable. It is also one of the few cancers for which mortality in the United States is still increasing.
And what about environment and regulation??
Here we need to distinguish between two different questions. Can environmental exposure to pollutants cause cancer? Yes. Can the current increase in cancer rates be attributed to the Trump administration's easing of environmental regulations? At this point, not in a direct scientific way.
The main reason is the time lag. Cancer usually develops over years and sometimes decades, so the impact of an environmental exposure or regulatory change does not immediately appear in the incidence data. In the epidemiological literature, it is common to refer to a long latency period between environmental exposure and cancer diagnosis. Therefore, the increases measured in the 2010 to 2019 or 2013 to 2022 data cannot be directly explained by regulatory measures in 2025 or 2026 ( National Biotechnology Information Center).
However, easing regulations on carcinogenic pollutants could affect future risk. Outdoor air pollution was already classified as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2013, primarily because of its association with lung cancer. Ethylene oxide, a substance used to sterilize medical equipment and in the chemical industry, is also classified by the EPA as a human carcinogen, with links to lymphoma and breast cancer in women.iarc.who.int)
Therefore, regulatory measures in the US are certainly relevant to the public debate. In March 2026, Reuters reported that the Trump administration proposed easing restrictions on ethylene oxide emissions from medical equipment sterilization plants, after previous Biden administration rules required stricter monitoring and controls. According to the report, the administration justified the change by the need to reduce the burden on the industry and prevent damage to the medical equipment supply chain, while critics emphasized the risk to communities near emitting facilities.Reuters)
In other words, there is currently no basis to say that the Trump administration's regulatory easing is the cause of the current increase in cancer rates. It is possible to say that weakening regulations on known carcinogens could increase future exposure, especially among populations living near factories, busy highways, sterilization facilities, power plants, or heavy industrial areas.
And what about smoking?
Although smoking remains one of the most important and proven risk factors for cancer, it is probably not the main explanation for the current increase in some types of cancer, especially at a young age. In the United States, cigarette smoking rates have actually fallen to historic lows, and lung cancer rates are also declining among young people. Therefore, while continuing to combat smoking is essential to reducing lung cancer and other types of cancer, the alarming increase in colon cancer, uterine cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, and other types requires examining other factors: obesity, diet, lack of physical activity, environmental exposures, and biological changes that may begin in childhood.
The conclusion: not just more testing, but more prevention
The message emerging from Nature and the epidemiological reports is that the fight against cancer cannot rely solely on advanced treatments or expanding screening tests. A broad prevention policy is required: reducing obesity, improving nutrition, reducing smoking and alcohol, encouraging physical activity, HPV vaccines, smart early detection, and also maintaining environmental regulation that reduces exposure to carcinogenic pollutants.
The rise in rates of some types of cancer, especially among young people, is a warning sign. It does not point to a single factor, but to environmental, nutritional, social and medical changes that accumulate over years. Precisely for this reason, the response needs to be systemic: not just more colonoscopies and mammograms, but also public policies that reduce the risk in the first place.
To the collection of studies on the NATURE website
Quick FAQ
Is there really an increase in cancer among young people?
Yes, but not for all types of cancer. The increase is particularly noticeable in several types, including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer, uterine cancer, pancreatic cancer, and some types of lymphoma. At the same time, there are other types of cancer whose incidence has actually decreased.
What is the explanation for the increase in cancer before the age of 50?
There is no single agreed explanation. Researchers are examining a combination of factors: obesity, a diet high in processed foods, physical inactivity, type 2 diabetes, alcohol, changes in the microbiome, antibiotic exposure, and environmental factors.
Do more screening tests explain the entire increase?
No. In some cases, early detection and high awareness explain part of the increase, but when there is also an increase in mortality or diagnosis at advanced stages, it is clear that it is not just about more tests.
Can the current increase be linked to easing environmental regulations in the US?
Not directly. Cancer often develops over years or decades, so regulatory measures in recent years cannot alone explain an increase that was already measured in the previous decade. However, future exposure to carcinogenic pollutants may affect future risk.
What is the main conclusion for health policy?
Not just testing and treatments. Broad prevention is needed: a healthier diet, physical activity, reducing obesity, reducing smoking and alcohol, HPV vaccines, targeted early detection, and environmental regulation that reduces exposure to carcinogenic pollutants.
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Because this is the curse of the common people. Everyone contributes a little, together they all kill.
I think the title is a bit misleading: the article does not point to any environmental deregulation that caused the increase in cancer cases. On the contrary, it denies a connection between this increase and certain regulatory easing (those of the Trump administration).
Agree with every word. There are also workplaces that establish the company in the heart of a municipal substation under a 22-33000 volt intermediate voltage line. You see a rising case rate and you can't say anything in the organization.