Cancer Rates Rise Among Younger Adults in England, Study Finds
Cancer incidence increased across several age groups in England between 2001 and 2019, but a new study found that some increases were more pronounced among adults under 50. Bowel and ovarian cancer rates rose significantly in younger adults, while comparable increases were not observed among those aged 50 and older.
Published in BMJ Oncology, the observational study examined national cancer registry records for more than 20 cancer types. Rates rose significantly for 16 of 22 cancers studied among younger women and 11 of 21 among younger men.
Researchers also examined trends in established risk factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, excess body weight and physical inactivity. Of 11 cancers they assessed in greater detail, 10 were associated with excess weight. Yet the study found that obesity could not fully explain the increases: incidence rose both for cases statistically attributable to body weight and for those not attributed to it.
Several other measured risks remained stable or improved among younger adults during the period examined. Red meat consumption declined, for example, although inadequate fiber intake remained widespread. The contrast between those trends and rising cancer incidence suggests that additional influences may warrant investigation.
The researchers identified endometrial, kidney, pancreatic, thyroid and multiple myeloma rates as increasing faster among younger women than older women. Among men, multiple myeloma was the only cancer with a significantly faster increase in the younger group.
Possible explanations include exposures earlier in life, reproductive history, changes in screening or diagnosis, and factors affecting the gut microbiome. The study did not establish whether any of these contributed to the observed trends. Its authors also noted gaps in long-term risk-factor data and said their analysis covered England, not the entire United Kingdom.
Although some rates increased faster among younger adults, cancer remains substantially more common among older people. The researchers said understanding the trends will require studying risks across the lifespan.