Researchers investigate causes of rising bowel cancer rates among young adults
Katy Lander was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 32 after months of bloating, tiredness, stomach pain and changes in her bowel habits. Her case comes amid a marked rise in bowel cancer among younger people, prompting researchers to investigate possible causes.
A stool test led to an urgent colonoscopy, which found 13 polyps and a large tumour. Lander had surgery to remove the tumour and about a third of her bowel, followed by chemotherapy; she was told she was in remission three months after treatment ended. In the UK, bowel cancer rates among 25- to 49-year-olds have risen by more than 50 per cent since the early 1990s. A new King’s College London study aims to recruit 250,000 people aged 18 to 50 and examine lifestyle, environmental exposures, blood and stool samples alongside NHS records.
- Katy Lander was diagnosed at 32 after bowel symptoms were initially attributed to stress.
- Bowel cancer rates among UK adults aged 25 to 49 have risen by over 50 per cent.
- A study plans to track 250,000 people to investigate possible causes.
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Bowel cancer starts in the large bowel or rectum, often developing from growths called polyps. It is more common with age, but diagnoses among younger adults have risen in the UK since the early 1990s.
Researchers do not yet know why rates are rising. The King’s College London study will track people’s health and examine possible links with lifestyle and environmental exposures, using samples and NHS records.
The findings could help researchers understand which factors are associated with the increase and improve how bowel cancer is recognised in younger people. Symptoms can include lasting changes in bowel habits, stomach pain, bloating and tiredness, though these can have other causes.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Could rise in bowel cancer in young people be due to premature ageing? That’s just one of the startling new claims as scientists investigate Katy Lander who was just 32 when she was diagnosed”.