Colon cancer is the ONLY cancer rising dramatically in young people, major study suggests

It is the disturbing health trend that is baffling doctors around the globe: the well-documented rise in young people developing cancer.

But a major new global analysis involving 42 countries, has found colon cancer — also called bowel cancer — is the only form of the disease to have solely surged in the under 50s.

According to the research, led by British scientists, rates of cancers such as thyroid, breast, kidney were not 'significantly different' between younger and older adults.

For others including liver and stomach, rates had even decreased among under 50s in more than half of the countries studied.

For bowel cancer, however—which claimed the life of Dame Deborah James at the age of 40—researchers discovered it had increased at a faster rate among the young compared to over 50s, in more than two third of countries assessed.

Previous research has also suggested that in England, diagnoses in 25 to 49-year-olds have increased by more than 50 per cent since the early 1990s.

In the US, meanwhile, the disease has already been projected to become the most common cancer in people under 50 by the year 2030.

Experts today suggested a rise in screening and testing for the disease could explain the increase.

Other scientists have long posed a variety of different theories including diets heavy in ultra-processed food and even antibiotic use.

Professor Amy Berrington, an expert in clinical cancer epidemiology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the study's lead author, said: 'Bowel cancer is the only cancer found to be increasing in many countries in younger adults faster than it is in older adults.

'It's possible that this difference could be due to routine bowel screening offered to older adults.

'Bowel cancer screening not only helps to detect cancer at earlier stages but also helps prevent cancer through the removal of pre-malignant lesions.

'This could be why bowel cancer cases seem to be rising faster in younger adults — we're getting better at preventing them developing in older adults.

'Several studies have suggested that rising rates of obesity could be behind the increases in cancer in younger adults.

'We are currently investigating how much of the increase could be explained by obesity, or whether novel carcinogens may also be involved – so far, the evidence is unclear.'

Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, added: 'This study shows that cancer incidence is rising in both younger and older adults — with the exception of bowel cancer — and that the rates of increase are broadly similar across multiple countries.

'In recent years, there has been considerable concern about a potential global epidemic of cancer cases in younger people.

'These findings provide a clearer picture of what is happening and cast doubt on the idea that the rise in cancer rates is only affecting younger people.'

In the study, researchers compared cancer incidence in 20 to 49-year-olds against 50 to 69-year-olds in 42 countries.

Over a follow-up of 15 years, they discovered rates increased in both older and younger adults in three quarters of countries for five out of the 13 cancers assessed.

These included thyroid, breast, kidney, endometrial and leukemia.

But writing in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the scientists noted there were 'relatively few countries' where incidence rates in 'younger adults was statistically significantly different from those in older adults'.

They also discovered prostate, gallbladder and pancreatic cancer had similar incidence rates among younger and older adults.

For liver, oral, esophageal, and stomach cancer, meanwhile, incidence rates decreased in younger adults in more than 50 per cent of the countries studied.

Bowel cancer 'was the only cancer type that increased in younger adults in many countries and decreased in older adults', they added.

In 69 per cent of countries assessed, bowel cancer cases were greater among young adults compared to the over 50s.

'This difference was statistically significant in 38 per cent of countries,' they said.

'Further research on the causes of these increases is needed.'

There are around 44,000 cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK and 142,000 in the US, making it the fourth most common cancer in both countries.

Symptoms often include changes in bowel movements such as consistent and new diarrhoea or constipation, needing or feeling the need to poo more or less frequently and blood in the stool.

Stomach pain, a lump in the stomach, bloating, unexpected weight-loss and fatigue are among other signs.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact their GP for advice.

Cancer Research UK estimates that over half (54 per cent) of bowel cancer cases in the UK are preventable.