According to the publication, the rate of cancer diagnosis in the United States has increased by 12.8% in 20 years. The study also points to a sharp rise in the number of cancer cases among people under the age of 50 worldwide, primarily in North America, Australia and Western Europe.

The publication quotes the director of the cancer center's early-stage gastrointestinal cancer program as saying: "Patients are getting younger. It could be environmental influences, foods, our medications, or something we haven't figured out yet."

According to the article, this leads medical professionals to a dead end. And doctors attribute it to lifestyle changes - lack of physical activity, an abundance of highly processed foods, new toxins, microplastics, and the rise in obesity, they suspect. At the same time, experts emphasize that obesity and lifestyle do not completely cover the situation.

"Many young patients are very healthy, other organs are healthy," said Nancy Yu, a colon cancer surgeon at the Houston Cancer Center.