Cancer Increasing Faster Among Younger People: 7 Types Stand Out

The British research fund World Cancer Research Fund has reviewed cancer statistics from England, the US, and the Netherlands and found clear increases in several types of cancer among people under 50. Cancer is still much more common among the elderly, but early cases are rising faster than in other age groups.

Of the twelve types of cancer reviewed in England, seven increased significantly among people under 50. World Cancer Research Fund’s analysis shows that prostate cancer among men in that age group went from 1 case per 100,000 in 2001 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 in 2023, while bowel cancer rose from 3.9 to 8.4 cases per 100,000 during the same period.

Uterine cancer reached 3.9 cases per 100,000 and kidney cancer 3 cases per 100,000, nearly a doubling. Breast cancer among women under 50 increased more moderately, from 42 to 47.5 cases per 100,000.

Pancreatic and liver cancer also became more common, while lung cancer among younger people decreased in all three countries as fewer people smoke.

Kidney cancer among people under 50 in the US more than doubled between 2000 and 2023, from 2.5 to 5.3 cases per 100,000, according to The Guardian.

Bowel, uterine, and pancreatic cancers increased by more than 50 percent, while breast cancer increased by around 20 percent. In the Netherlands, bowel, kidney, liver, and cervical cancer among younger people also rose.

Lifestyle and Earlier Detection

The head of research at the World Cancer Research Fund calls the trend worrying and reminds us that behind every number is a person who encounters cancer earlier than expected by themselves, their families, or often even their doctors.

The fund’s research experts say it is still not fully understood why more cases of cancer are affecting people under 50. They point to obesity, diet, alcohol, and smoking as likely contributing factors, as well as the fact that more people are seeking care when they recognize symptoms.

About 40 percent of all cancer cases are linked to such modifiable risks. Improved diagnostics alone cannot explain the increase, the fund emphasizes.

A professor of digital health and cancer genomics at Queen’s University Belfast describes the rise as a ticking bomb that must be defused before the numbers continue to grow and warns that lifestyle factors are already costing thousands of lives.

In the UK, King’s College London has launched a major study involving 250,000 people. The study is funded by Cancer Research UK and aims to determine how much of the increase in bowel cancer among younger adults is due to poorer living habits and how much is due to earlier detection.

Similar Signs in Sweden

Sweden is not included in the World Cancer Research Fund’s analysis, but the Swedish Cancer Society sees the same pattern for certain types of cancer here as well. Breast cancer among women aged 20 to 49 has increased by about 75 percent since 2000, measured per capita.

Colon and rectal cancer among people aged 35 to 50 has risen by about 30 percent among women and over 60 percent among men during the same period.

At the same time, malignant melanoma among people aged 20 to 50 has decreased by just over 15 percent in the past ten years. It is still unusual for younger people to be affected, and about five percent of all cancer cases in Sweden occur in people under 50.