Bowel cancer ‘deadliest type for under-50s’ and failing to improve – the 4 toilet symptoms to never ignore

BOWEL cancer is increasing in young people, stats suggest. And mortality rates don’t appear to be improving in line with other forms of the disease, a new study warns. Bowel cancer is surging among young people – and death rates aren’t falling as with other cancers Credit: Alamy Bowel cancer can cause tiredness and changes in toilet habits Credit: Getty Bowel cancer has become a leading cause of death across the world, and it’s the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK. In the UK, over 46,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year – making it the fourth most common cancer. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! There has been a worrying rise in younger people getting the disease in recent years – many of whom face delays in diagnosis due to their age. Most cases are still spotted in people over the age 50, with about 2,600 people younger than that diagnosed with bowel cancer every year. But since the 1990s, rates of bowel cancer in 25 to 49-year-olds have increased by 72 per cent, according to Cancer Research UK – compared to a 6 per cent increase in people aged 50 to 59, and a 3 per cent increase in 60 to 74-year-olds. Now, new research from Oslo University Hospital in Norway adds to a worrying picture. It found that major cancer types are becoming less deadly for young people – except for bowel cancer. Researchers analysed cancer deaths among people younger than 50 in Norway for the last three decades. Most read in Health Overall, 13,250 aged 20 to 49 died from cancer in Norway between1996 and 2024. This represented 4.2 per cent of all the cancer-related deaths in this period. Deaths from brain, lung, skin, breast and pancreatic cancers in this age group dropped during the study period. Between 1996 and 2024, the overall cancer death rate among young people dropped steadily by about 2.8 per cent each year. Over the last 10 years, deaths went down for every major type of cancer, including: Lung cancer: Down 5.4 per cent per year Breast cancer: Down 3.6 per cent per year Melanoma (skin cancer): Down 3.1 per cent per year Brain cancer: Down 1.6 per cent per year Pancreatic cancer: Down 1.6 per cent per year But bowel cancer bucked that trend, researchers found. Death rates didn’t go up – but they remaining steady over recent decades while deaths from other cancers in young people fell. This makes it the leading cause of cancer death in young people in Norway since 2020. “Failure to obtain a corresponding decrease in mortality might also be associated with more frequent diagnosis at advanced stage,” researchers wrote in JAMA Network Open. Bowel cancer can cause symptoms such as blood in poo or on the toilet paper, and a lump in the tummy. But it can be easily mistaken for common issues such as piles – and tiredness and weight loss may be missed. Four symptoms bowel cancer can cause on the toilet Bowel cancer can cause a change in your toilet habits. Watch out for signs like: Bleeding from your bottom Blood in your poo Needing to go more or less often Diarrhoea or constipation that’s unusual for you You might also notice: You’re losing weight but you’re not sure why You’re feeling very tired all the time but you’re not sure why A pain or lump in your tummy Source: Bowel Cancer UK While the study only represents a population in Norway, there have been similar research findings globally, including in the UK and US. It comes after research published earlier this year found that bowel and ovarian cancers were increasing exclusively in young people in England. Meanwhile, thyroid, multiple myeloma, liver, kidney, gallbladder, pancreatic, endometrial, oral and breast cancer increased in older adults too. Experts said several factors were driving cancer risk in younger adults, with obesity being the main one. Professor Marc Gunter, from Imperial College London, said: “Obesity seemed to be one potential factor that could be driving increasing rates of cancers both in older and younger people. “We know that obesity is an established risk factor for around 19 different cancers now. “For some of these cancers, including colorectal [bowel] cancer, we think this could be partly caused by increased levels of hormones, which often dysregulate in obesity.” The NHS sends free home testing kits that check for traces of blood in poo – a telltale sign of bwel cancer – to everyone aged 50 to 74 every two years. The age of testing was lowered to 50 years old after campaigning by The Sun, spearheaded by Dame Deborah James. The Sun columnist died of the disease aged 40, after a diagnosis five years prior. Screening is for people without symptoms but if you have symptoms you think could be bowel cancer, don’t wait to receive your test – speak to your GP. Comment now