Bowel and ovarian cancer rising among people under 50 in England — ScienceDaily

In England, the incidence of bowel and ovarian cancer has increased statistically significantly among people under 50, while no such increase was recorded in the group aged 50 and over. This was shown by a study published in BMJ Oncology, ScienceDaily reports.

Scientists analyzed records from England’s National Disease Registration Service for 2001–2019. They compared trends in more than 20 types of cancer among men and women aged 20 to 49 and among people aged 50 and over.

Increase in several types of cancer

Among younger women, a statistically significant increase was identified for 16 of the 22 studied cancer types, and among younger men, for 11 of 21. People under 50 more often developed thyroid, liver, kidney, gallbladder, bowel, pancreatic, oral, breast and ovarian cancers, as well as multiple myeloma and endometrial cancer.

Among younger women, the incidence of endometrial, kidney, pancreatic and thyroid cancers, as well as multiple myeloma, rose faster than in the older group. Among men, this trend was found only for multiple myeloma.

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Excess weight explains only part of the trend

The researchers compared the data with indicators of smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, physical activity and body mass index. Excess weight was associated with 10 of the 11 cancer types assessed in detail in the study, but could not fully explain the increase in incidence.

At the same time, most other known behavioral risk factors among younger adults remained stable or improved. For example, average daily red meat consumption among men under 50 decreased from 38 grams in 2008 to 17 grams in 2018, and among women from 22 to 10 grams. However, more than 90% of younger adults in 2018 still did not consume enough fiber.

Possible additional factors

The authors emphasized that the study is observational and does not establish a causal relationship. Among possible factors requiring further study, they named reproductive history, exposures in early life or before birth, changes in cancer diagnosis and detection, and disturbances in the gut microbiome.

Despite the worrying trend among younger people, the absolute number of cancer cases remains substantially higher in older age groups.