Cancer rates climbing faster among people under 50, new research shows

An analysis by the World Cancer Research Fund of cancer registry data from England, the United States and the Netherlands has found that diagnoses of several cancer types among people under 50 have climbed much faster in recent decades than among older age groups.

The shift is most striking in England, where prostate cancer diagnoses in men under 50 have quadrupled since 2001, rising from roughly one case per 100,000 people to 3.6 per 100,000 in 2023. Bowel, kidney and uterine cancer rates in the same age group have more than doubled over the same period, while breast, pancreatic and liver cancer cases have also risen, though less sharply.

In the US, kidney cancer diagnoses among under-50s have more than doubled since 2000, while bowel, uterine, pancreatic and breast cancers have each increased by roughly 20 to 50 percent. In the Netherlands, researchers recorded significant rises in early-onset bowel, kidney, liver and cervical cancers. By contrast, lung cancer rates among younger people fell in all three countries, a trend attributed to declining smoking rates.

Researchers say the pattern likely reflects a mix of factors: rising obesity, poor diets, insufficient exercise, alcohol consumption and environmental exposures such as pollution and chemicals. Roughly 40% of cancers are linked to such modifiable risk factors. At the same time, greater public awareness of cancer symptoms means more people are seeking diagnosis earlier, which also contributes to the rising numbers.

Mark Lawler, a cancer genomics professor at Queen's University Belfast, described the trend as a "ticking timebomb" that needs urgent attention, warning the numbers will keep growing otherwise. Giota Mitrou of the World Cancer Research Fund said the pattern must be treated as a serious research and prevention priority, even though cancer overall remains far more common among older adults, who still make up the majority of diagnoses.

King's College London has announced a new study involving 250,000 participants, funded by Cancer Research UK, to examine whether the rise in early-onset bowel cancer stems more from worsening risk factors or improved detection. The UK's Department of Health and Social Care said early diagnosis remains central to its national cancer plan, pointing to investment in new diagnostic technologies and expanded genetic testing aimed at identifying people most at risk sooner.