Published : 06 Oct 2026, 04:12 PM
Updated : 06 Oct 2026, 04:12 PM
Cancer rates are rising faster among younger people than other age groups, with significant increases in early-onset cases of several cancers in England, the US and the Netherlands, an international study has found.
The analysis by the World Cancer Research Fund found significant increases in seven cancer types among people under 50 in England, five in the US and four in the Netherlands, The Guardian reports.
In England, prostate cancer among under-50s rose from 1 case per 100,000 people in 2001 to 3.6 in 2023.
Bowel cancer increased from 3.9 to 8.4 per 100,000 over the same period, while uterine and kidney cancers more than doubled to 3.9 and 3 per 100,000 respectively.
Breast cancer among younger people also rose, from 42 to 47.5 per 100,000 in 2023, while early-onset pancreatic and liver cancers increased.
In the US, kidney cancer among under-50s more than doubled from 2.5 cases per 100,000 in 2000 to 5.3 in 2023.
Bowel, uterine and pancreatic cancers rose by more than 50 percent, while breast cancer increased by about 20 percent.
In the Netherlands, significant increases were found in early-onset bowel, kidney, liver and cervical cancers.
Lung cancer rates among under-50s, however, fell in all three countries, reflecting declining smoking rates.
Researchers linked the rise in early-onset cancer to growing obesity, poor diets, insufficient exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking and environmental exposures.
About 40 percent of cancers are linked to modifiable risk factors, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.
The British newspaper said greater awareness of cancer symptoms and earlier diagnosis may also be contributing to the rise, but researchers believe improved detection does not explain the whole trend.
Mark Lawler, professor of digital health and translational cancer genomics at Queen’s University Belfast, described the trend as “a serious warning about the future burden of cancer”.
World Cancer Research Fund research and policy director Giota Mitrou said cancer remains far more common among older adults, but the changing pattern among younger people should be treated as a major research and prevention priority.
King’s College London has launched a trial involving 250,000 people, funded by Cancer Research UK, to investigate the rise in bowel cancer among younger adults and examine the balance between changing risk factors and improved detection.
