A global health crisis in young adults: 30-Year trends in high BMI-related early-onset cancer mortality.

[INTRODUCTION] Early-onset cancer (EOC), occurring in individuals aged 15-49 years, is a growing global health concern. High body mass index (BMI) is an established modifiable risk factor contributing to cancer morbidity and mortality.

[METHODS] Age-specific death percents and estimated annual percentage changes (APC) were calculated to assess mortality trends associated with high BMI using GBD 2021 data. Global and regional (5 socio-demographic (SDI) regions, 21 GBD regions and 204 countries) trends were analyzed. Statistical modeling, including 2 sample t-test were performed to estimate the standard deviations among each group which is plugged in the denominator to compute the statistic.

[RESULTS] In 2021, 23,078 EOC deaths related to high BMI occurred, accounting for 2.33 % of global EOC mortality, representing a 92.78 % increase since 1990. Males (2.96 %) exhibited a higher proportion of high BMI-attributable EOC deaths compared to females (1.72 %). High-income regions recorded the highest EOC deaths (3.78 %) associated with high BMI, with increasing trends observed across all SDI levels. At the national level, Tonga (8.38 %) and the UAE (8.09 %) had the highest high BMI-associated EOC mortality rates. Among cancer types, kidney and uterine cancers exhibited the highest mortality. Notably, high BMI demonstrated a protective effect against early-onset breast cancer in females.

[DISCUSSION] The rising burden of EOC mortality attributed to high BMI underscores the need for urgent interventions in young adult population. Addressing obesity through lifestyle changes, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery is crucial for reducing cancer burden. Future research should refine risk estimates and inform targeted interventions.