CANCER RATES RISING FASTER AMONG YOUNGER PEOPLE, GLOBAL STUDY FINDS

Sun 18 October 2026:

Cases of seven cancers have risen significantly among people under 50 in England, according to an analysis published Tuesday by the World Cancer Research Fund International.

The organization examined official cancer registry data for 12 cancer types in England between 2001 and 2023. Significant increases in case numbers were recorded for breast, colorectal, kidney, liver, pancreatic, prostate and uterine cancers.

The sharpest proportional increase was seen in prostate cancer. The number of diagnoses among men under 50 rose from 158 in 2001 to 640 in 2023, more than fourfold. The incidence rate increased from 1 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 men.

Despite the increase, prostate cancer remains rare in this age group, with fewer than four cases recorded per 100,000 men in 2023.

Early-onset colorectal cancer also rose markedly. Among women, the rate increased from 3.8 to 8.3 cases per 100,000, while among men it climbed from 4 to 8.4 per 100,000.

Uterine cancer rates more than doubled, from 1.8 to 3.9 cases per 100,000 women. Kidney cancer increased from 1.2 to 2.3 cases per 100,000 women and from 1.9 to 3.6 among men.

Breast cancer remained the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women under 50, with its incidence rate rising from 42 to 47.5 cases per 100,000. Smaller increases were also recorded for liver and pancreatic cancers.

The analysis also examined registry data from the US and the Netherlands. Significant increases were identified in five cancer types in the US — breast, colorectal, kidney, pancreatic and uterine — and four in the Netherlands: cervical, colorectal, kidney and liver cancer.

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Causes not fully understood

The World Cancer Research Fund cautioned that the analysis identified trends but did not establish what caused them.

“The short answer is we don’t completely know yet,” it said, adding that several interacting factors were probably influencing the figures.

Population-level changes in obesity, physical activity and diet may explain part of the increase. Diets high in red and processed meat, fast food and sugary drinks, as well as diets low in fiber, are associated with a higher risk of certain cancers.

Smoking, alcohol consumption and excessive sun exposure are among other modifiable cancer risks. However, the organization stressed that such factors probably explain only part of the changing pattern and should not be interpreted as proof that personal choices caused individual cases.

Researchers are also investigating whether pollution, chemicals, plastics, antibiotic use and changes to the gut microbiome could be affecting cancer risk across generations.

Improved awareness and diagnosis may account for some of the rise because younger adults are now more likely to recognize symptoms and seek medical attention. Better testing can also detect cancers that might previously have gone unnoticed.

The fund said improved detection could not explain the entire increase, particularly for cancers for which mortality is also rising.

Cancer nevertheless remains predominantly a disease of older adults. The average or median age at diagnosis in developed countries is above 60, and early-onset cancer remains uncommon compared with cancer among people over 50.

The English figures were calculated using age-specific incidence rates, which account for the size of the under-50 population but not changes in its internal age distribution. The fund said further research into genetics, environmental exposure, tumor biology and the microbiome would be needed to explain why some cancers are becoming more common among younger generations.

-Source: AA

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