Bowel cancer rates are rising quickest among adults in their early 40s, MailOnline analysis shows.
Experts admit they are baffled by what is triggering the ‘epidemic’ of the disease – long considered a disease of older people.
Although diagnoses are spiralling among under-50s as a whole, the alarming trend isn’t universal across the age groups.
NHS figures for England show bowel cancer rates have increased quickest among men aged 40-44 since Covid.
In 2019, 283 men in this age group were diagnosed with the disease.
This equated to a rate of 16.6 per every 100,000, or one in every 6,000.
Yet by 2022, the most recent year figures are available for, this soared 57 per cent, with 26.1 diagnoses per every 100,000 men aged 40-44.
That is the equivalent of one in every 3,800 men in their early 40s being diagnosed with the disease each year.
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Experts admit they are baffled by what is triggering the ‘epidemic’ of the disease – long considered a disease of older people
Women in the same age bracket saw the next biggest rise, spiralling 50 per cent in the four-year period.
Some 447 women aged 40-44 were dealt the news they had the disease in 2022 – the equivalent of one in every 4,200.
Among under-50s as a whole, bowel cancer was still most prevalent in 45-49 year olds, mirroring what experts know about age being the biggest risk factor.
Researchers investigating the trend say England’s epidemic is growing at one of the fastest rates in the world.
Amid snowballing rates, NHS chiefs have announced they will drop the bowel cancer screening age to 50. It marks a huge victory for Dame Deborah James, who led calls to get younger people screened for the disease. She died from the illness in 2022 at the age of 40.
Experts believe poor diets packed with more ultra-processed foods, obesity and a lack of exercise could be responsible for the alarming trend.
Such factors, some scientists believe, may be driving ‘accelerated ageing’ – where biological ageing outpaces people’s acutal ages.
Professor Karol Sikora, a world-renowned oncologist with more than 40 years’ experience, said that while the rise of cancer in young people still puzzles doctors, it is not a new phenomenon.
He told MailOnline: ‘There’s no doubt, it is a real and profound sweep of change across the world.
‘It is one that has been going for 30 years or so and the whole trend seems to come back to lifestyle choices across diet and exercise.
‘Some are going up dramatically and we haven’t got a clue as to why – but clearly something has changed in early onset cases for young people.’
MailOnline’s analysis looked at all 14 umbrella groups of cancer, including pancreas, lung and breast.
Types that rarely affect younger adults, such as prostate and kidney, were excluded because due to very small numbers.
Some types – such as eye cancer in baby girls – saw even bigger rises than bowel cancer.
Yet the figures were so low experts said it was hard to draw significance.
Professor Pat Price, oncologist and chair of Radiotherapy UK, warned the growth in bowel cancer among young people presented a ‘serious public health challenge.’
She said: ‘This trend may take years to reverse and the Department of Health and the NHS have an immediate responsibility to ensure that higher cancer rates are met with appropriate investment in both diagnosis and treatment.
‘Without urgent action to expand treatment capacity, more people will face a potentially deadly diagnosis without adequate access to life-saving care.’
Professor Price added: ‘It’s also critical to dispel misinformation.
‘Covid vaccines aren’t causing cancer and so to stay safe, people should prioritise attending cancer screening appointments when offered and choose healthier lifestyles.’
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Top doctors were also alarmed by the growth in young women being diagnosed with pancreatic cancers.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms due to its subtle symptoms which are harder to spot until the later stages, when it is more difficult to treat.
Only one in 20 patients are expected to survive a decade after their diagnosis.
Thyroid cancer, too, has seen worrying growth in young women, particularly those in the 20 to 24 range.
The sub-type which grew the most irrespective of gender or age was Hodgkin Lymphoma, which saw growth in ten out of the 22 different age subtypes across men and women.
The disease hits the body’s lymphatic system, the part of the immune system which is responsible for fighting germs and disease.
However the condition carries a relatively strong survival rate, with the NHS guidance advising that eight out of ten people with the disease live at least five years and of these, most will be cured.
The older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with cancer. Sixty-six is the median age of diagnosis, statistics suggest.
Cancer Research UK found almost 35,000 people aged 25-49 were diagnosed with cancer in 2019, more than ever before.
