Appendix Cancer Rises 71% Among US Millennials, Survival Varies by Stage

Recent studies have highlighted a concerning rise in appendix cancer among young adults, particularly millennials aged 29 to 44, with cases increasing by 71 percent over the past two decades. This rare cancer is often diagnosed late due to its symptoms being mistaken for common digestive issues and the difficulty of detection through standard scans or colonoscopies, leading to a poor prognosis in advanced stages. Experts attribute the surge partly to lifestyle factors such as poor diets. Meanwhile, new research on a multicancer early detection (MCED) test shows promise in identifying circulating tumor DNA in the blood up to three and a half years before clinical cancer diagnosis, potentially enabling earlier intervention and improved outcomes. The MCED test detected tumor mutations years before diagnosis in several cancer types, including colon, pancreatic, lung, and liver cancers, underscoring its potential for early cancer detection and better management. These findings collectively emphasize the need for heightened awareness of appendix cancer symptoms and the development of sensitive diagnostic tools to improve early detection and survival rates.