A very rare type of cancer is on a sharp upward trajectory in younger generations, and no one knows why.

Recent research in the US reveals that Gen X-ers and Millennials are three to four times more likely than older generations to be diagnosed with cancer of the appendix, the finger-sized organ hanging off our digestive tract that few think about unless something goes awry.

Historically, cancers of the appendix almost always impacted older people, but today, 1 in every 3 appendiceal cancer patients is diagnosed under the age of 50.

The lead author of two recent analyses, epidemiologist and molecular biologist Andreana Holowatyj from Vanderbilt University, wants to know why. For years now, she has studied a sharp uptick in appendix cancers across generations.

"When we think about the

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