Temporal trends in cancer mortality among people younger than 50 years in Norway

A retrospective cohort study in Norway analyzed trends in cancer mortality among individuals younger than 50 years in the last 3 decades. Annual numbers of cancer deaths in Norway from 1996 through 2024 were obtained from the Associations of the Nordic Cancer Registries. Overall, 13 250 individuals (56.2% female) aged 20 to 49 years died from cancer in Norway during the study period. The age-standardized mortality rate declined by 56.0%, from 30.2 per 100 000 individuals in 1996 to 13.3 in 2024, corresponding to a mean annual decline of 2.8% (95% CI -3.0 to -2.6). A corresponding decline in the last 10-year period was observed of each leading cause of cancer death, with as only exception colorectal cancer (CRC), which had stable mortality since 1996. Consequently, CRC has been the leading cause of cancer death in the young patient population since 2020. Subgroup analysis by patient sex and tumor site showed a decrease in mortality among female patients with rectal cancer. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of death among young female patients, with CRC ranked second since 2023.