News Health & Medicine

Gen X has higher cancer rates than their baby boomer parents

Experts call for policies to promote healthier lifestyles in light of a concerning uptick

In this stock photo portraying a white multigenerational family, a young boy, older man and a middle-aged man lean on a fence near what looks like dunes and are all looking out toward the horizon.

Cancer is on the rise in the United States in Generation X (people born between 1965 and 1980) compared with their parents’ generations, a new study shows. That could be bad news for younger generations, like the boy in this multigenerational family.

Oliver Rossi/Stone/Getty Images Plus

By Tina Hesman Saey

Generation X is outdoing baby boomers, but not in a good way.