Overview

• People born between 1981 and 1989 experienced a fourfold increase in appendix cancer and those born from 1976 to 1984 saw a threefold rise compared with individuals born between 1941 and 1949.
• Approximately 3,000 new appendix cancer cases are diagnosed in the US each year, yet one in three patients now receives a diagnosis before age 50.
• Researchers identify a birth cohort effect suggesting that exposure to new environmental and lifestyle factors has escalated risk among younger generations.
• Increased consumption of ultraprocessed foods, higher obesity rates and shifts in gut health are cited as potential contributors to the growing incidence.
• The absence of standardized screening guidelines leads to many late-stage diagnoses despite early-stage five-year survival rates ranging from 67% to 97%.