Cancer is diagnosed more often in younger adults than it was two decades ago, according to a new analysis from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) that examined registry data from England, the United States and the Netherlands between roughly 2001 and 2023.
The study, reported by the Guardian on 6 October, found statistically significant increases in early-onset cancer, meaning diagnoses in people under 50, for seven cancer types in England, five in the United States and four in the Netherlands. Researchers say the pattern points to shared lifestyle factors across wealthy countries, even as it remains far less common than cancer in older adults.
Sharpest rises in England
In England, prostate cancer diagnoses among men under 50 nearly quadrupled, from about 1.0 per 100,000 in 2001 to 3.6 per 100,000 in 2023. Bowel cancer in the same age group rose from 3.9 to 8.4 per 100,000 over the same period, while kidney cancer doubled from 1.5 to 3.0 per 100,000.
Uterine (womb) cancer incidence in under-50s rose from 1.8 to 3.9 per 100,000, and breast cancer increased more modestly, from 42.0 to 47.5 per 100,000. Pancreatic and liver cancer also showed significant increases, completing the list of seven cancer types flagged in England.
In the United States, early-onset kidney cancer more than doubled, from 2.5 per 100,000 in 2000 to 5.3 per 100,000 in 2023. Bowel, uterine and pancreatic cancers each rose by more than 50 percent over the same period, and breast cancer by about 20 percent. The Netherlands recorded significant rises in early-onset bowel, kidney, liver and cervical cancers.
Lifestyle factors under scrutiny
WCRF estimates that around 40 percent of cancers overall are linked to modifiable risk factors, including obesity, poor diet, inactivity, alcohol consumption and smoking. Notably, lung cancer incidence among under-50s fell in all three countries studied, a trend researchers attribute to declining smoking rates. The researchers say greater public awareness and earlier symptom reporting may also be contributing to higher detection rates, alongside a genuine rise in disease.
“Behind every figure is a person facing cancer earlier than they, their family and often their doctor would expect. While cancer is still much more common in older adults, these changing patterns among younger generations need to be treated as a serious research and cancer prevention priority,” said Dr Giota Mitrou, executive director of research and policy at WCRF.
Separately, a UK study involving Cancer Grand Challenges and King’s College London has begun recruiting participants to investigate possible dietary links to the rise in early-onset bowel cancer, according to ITV News. The WCRF’s authors say the consistency of the trend across three different healthcare systems strengthens the case that it reflects real changes in risk, rather than simply differences in how each country collects data.
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