Bowel cancer on rise in young people
BOWEL cancer mostly affects people over the age of 50, but recent evidence suggests it’s on the rise among younger Australians.
The study, published recently in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, found the incidence of bowel cancer – including colon and rectal cancer – has increased by up to 9 per cent in people under 50 from the 1990s until now.
Researchers examined all recorded cases of bowel cancer from the past 40 years in Australians aged 20 and over.
Previous studies assessing bowel cancer incidence in young Australians have also documented an increase in the younger age group.
This trend is also being seen in other developed countries. A study from the United States suggests an increase in bowel cancer incidence in people 54 and younger, showing rectal cancer incidence increased by 3.2 per cent from 1974 to 2013 among those aged 20–29.
The Australian study wasn’t designed to identify why bowel cancer is increasing among young people. But there are some factors that could underpin its findings. The increase in obesity parallels that of bowel cancer, and large population based studies have linked obesity to increased cancer risk.
Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, such as increased intake of highly processed foods (including processed meats), have also been associated with increased bowel cancer risk.
Alcohol is also thought to be a contributor to increasing the risk of bowel cancer.