Study: Young Adult Bowel Cancer Rising Worldwide

Published DEC 12 2024

Story

Above: A patient recovering from surgery. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

A new study published in the Lancet Oncology revealed increasing rates of bowel cancer among adults aged 25 to 49 across 27 of 50 countries examined through 2017.
The Lancet
Guardian
England showed one of the highest annual increases at 3.59%, following Puerto Rico (3.81%), Chile (3.96%), and New Zealand (3.97%) in the decade leading up to 2017.
The Lancet
The Telegraph
Young women experienced faster increases in early-onset bowel cancer than men in England, Norway, Australia, Turkey, Costa Rica, and Scotland, while men saw it more in Chile, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Ecuador, Thailand, Sweden, Israel, and Croatia.
NDTV
Guardian
The Lancet
From 2013 to 2017, the highest incidence rates of early-onset colorectal cancer were found in Australia (16.5 per 100K), Puerto Rico (15.2), New Zealand (14.8), the US (14.8), and South Korea (14.3). The lowest were found in Uganda (4.4) and India (3.5).
The Lancet
While the data is concerning, bowel cancer, which can cause rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, and weight loss, predominantly affects older adults, with only about 5% of cases occurring in under-50s in the UK.
The Telegraph
BBC News
Guardian
The study also noted that it faced limitations including incomplete data sets, under-representation of African and Asian countries, and data only up to 2017.
New Scientist
The Lancet

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

The rise in bowel cancer among young people is fueled by diets high in ultra-processed and sugary foods, which trigger chronic inflammation and weaken the immune system. Lifestyle factors, environmental toxins, and changes in gut microbiomes also contribute. To combat this, young people should prioritize healthy, unprocessed foods, stay active, recognize symptoms like rectal bleeding early, and advocate for earlier screenings.

nytimes

New York Post

Narrative B

While media attention on food's link to cancer is progress, the US medical system — which is bought off by food and drug companies — continues to promote treatment over prevention in its standard of care guidelines. Rooted in outdated policies like the Flexner Report, the system favors pharmaceuticals over holistic health and nutrition. While many countries have a good chance of fixing this problem, those influenced by the US establishment are still stuck.

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