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Experts searching for 250,000 people for study on bowel cancer among young adults
The study found 96,410 cases over 40 years, with 6.1% diagnosed before age 50 and nearly 28% already metastatic.
Researchers from King's College London and health science company Zoe launched Prospect-UK yesterday, aiming to recruit 250,000 adults across the UK to investigate rising early-onset bowel cancer.
Early-Onset bowel cancer has increased substantially since 1990, with incidence among adults aged 25 to 49 in the UK rising 24% between the early 1990s and 2019, according to Cancer Research UK data.
Professor Sarah Berry, chief investigator, said researchers must understand dietary patterns because "we don't know which of these changes are increasing people's risk of bowel cancer," while around 60% of UK calories come from highly processed foods.
Dr. David Scott, director of Cancer Grand Challenges, stated rising rates in younger adults pose a "question we are working to answer" through international collaboration aimed at preventing bowel cancer.
Younger patients are often diagnosed at late stages, prompting experts to advocate earlier screening; some countries like the United States have lowered the screening starting age to 45 for better early detection.