Shock bowel cancer surge to kill 1,000 unhealthy young Brits this year

29 January 2024 , 00:01

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TV presenter Deborah James campaigned for bowel cancer awareness before her death

Scientists predict 1,000 young Brits will die of bowel cancer in 2024, a surge fuelled by booze, obesity and a lack of exercise.

Academics fear the number of people aged 24-49 dying of the disease this year could be a third higher than in 2018. Carlo La Vecchia, from the University of Milan, said: “There will be about 1,000 deaths from colorectal cancer in the UK at age 24 to 49 compared to 2018, which corresponds to about 250 excess deaths.

“Key factors that contribute to the rise in bowel cancer rates among young people include being overweight, obesity, and related health conditions such as high blood sugar levels and diabetes. Additional reasons are increases in heavier alcohol drinking and reductions in physical activity.”

Bowel cancer is currently the second biggest cancer killer of men, and the third biggest of women, in all age groups across both the UK and the EU. Among non-smokers, it is the leading cause of cancer death in both sexes for all ages combined.

Academics fear the number of people aged 24-49 dying of the disease this year could be a third higher than in 2018 (Getty Images)

But the surge in bowel cancer among young people is the greatest cause for concern, because it is more aggressive than in older folk. Researcher Prof La Vecchia said: “Early onset bowel cancer tends to be more aggressive, with lower survival rates, compared to bowel cancer that is diagnosed in older people.”

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Bowel cancer awareness was boosted by the campaigning work of TV presenter Dame Deborah James. She died from the disease in 2022, aged 40, but her appeal raised £11.3m for research.

The age-adjusted death rate for all cancers in the UK will fall from 120 to 104 per 100,000 men and from 92.5 to 83 per 100,000 women in 2024. However, due to the increasing numbers of elderly people in the UK population, the actual number of deaths will rise by about 172,900.

The findings are from a new study published in Annals of Oncology today.

Dan Warburton