Cancer rates rising more quickly among younger people, international study finds

Cases of seven types of cancer have risen sharply among younger people in England, major new research has found, prompting warnings that lifestyle choices are costing thousands of lives each year.

The number of people under 50 diagnosed with prostate cancer in England has quadrupled since 2001, while early onset bowel, kidney and uterine cancer diagnoses more than doubled.

Analysis of English, US and Dutch cancer data by World Cancer Research Fund identified “significant increases” in early onset cancers for seven cancer types in England, five types in the US and four in the Netherlands.

Although cancer has been increasing across all age groups globally, the rate rise in early onset cases is greater than other ages.

Experts said the figures reflected the growing global obesity epidemic, poor diets and insufficient exercise, as well as growing awareness of cancer and earlier diagnosis.

Cancer among the under 50s is still uncommon, with the median age at diagnosis above 60, but the trend is worrying, the authors noted.

Mark Lawler, professor of digital health and the chair in translational cancer genomics at Queen’s University Belfast, called the problem “a ticking timebomb that we need to diffuse as quickly as possible, otherwise the numbers will undoubtedly continue to grow”.

He went on: “The overall trend is also particularly worrying as it comes on the backdrop of lifestyle factors contributing to thousands of deaths.”

In England, of the 12 tumour types studied, incidence rates of prostate cancer among men under 50 jumped from one in every 100,000 people in 2001 to 3.6 in every 100,000 in 2023. Over the same period, rates of bowel cancer among the under 50s leapt from 3.9 in 100,000 people in 2001 to 8.4 in 100,000 in 2023, while early onset uterine and kidney cancers also doubled to 3.9 and 3 per 100,000 people respectively.

The rate of breast cancer among the under 50s increased, albeit less sharply, from 42 to 47.5 per 100,000 in 2023, while there were also increases in the incidence of early onset pancreatic and liver cancers.

In the US, analysis of official data since 2000 found that among patients under 50, incidence rates of kidney cancer more than doubled from 2.5 in 100,000 people in 2000 to 5.3 in 2023, while bowel, uterine and pancreatic cancers all increased by more than 50% and breast cancer by about 20%.

For the Netherlands, the researchers found significant increases in early onset bowel, kidney, liver and cervical cancers.

In contrast, rates of lung cancer among the under 50s declined in all three countries, reflecting continuing declines in smoking in those countries.

Dr Giota Mitrou, the executive director of research and policy at the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), called the trajectory “concerning”, and added: “Behind every figure is a person facing cancer earlier than they, their family and often their doctor would expect. While cancer is still much more common in older adults, these changing patterns among younger generations need to be treated as a serious research and cancer prevention priority.”

WCRF said risk factors such as growing obesity levels, poor diet, insufficient exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking and environmental exposures (such as pollutants, chemicals, plastics, water and air pollution) could be contributing to the trend. About 40% of cancers are linked to these kinds of modifiable risks. However, greater awareness of cancer symptoms also means that people are more likely to be diagnosed earlier.

“While we don’t completely understand why more cancers are occurring in people under 50 years of age, it is likely that risk factors related to cancer – for example, overweight and obesity, diet, alcohol, consumption and smoking – play a role,” said Dr Vanessa Gordon-Dseagu, research translation manager at WCRF.

“At the same time, the public are increasingly aware of the risk factors relating to cancer and the signs and symptoms of the disease to look out for, so are more likely to seek out healthcare when they experience them.”

While more cancers are being diagnosed at an earlier stage, “increased diagnosis does not explain the whole story and more research is needed to understand early-onset cancers” she added.

King’s College London has announced a new trial of 250,000 people, funded by Cancer Research UK, to investigate the increase in bowel cancer cases among younger adults.

The study will seek a clearer understanding of the balance between worsening risk factors and better detection in the rise.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “These findings underline why early diagnosis is at the heart of our national cancer plan. To help catch cancer sooner, we’re investing in new technologies to speed up diagnosis, expanding genetic testing, and supporting research to better understand the causes of cancer and who may be most at risk.

We’re also prioritising research into less-survivable and rarer cancers, and our ambition is for three-quarters of people diagnosed by 2035 to be cancer-free or living well with cancer, saving 320,000 lives.

“Our newly announced national cancer board has a specific representative for children and young people, as we’re aware of the devastating impact of getting cancer at an earlier stage of life.”