Bowel cancer rates are rising across the world with some of the steepest increases are happening in England, according to a major new paper published today
Using World Health Organization (WHO) data for the years to 2017, an American Cancer Society-led research team found increasing rates of bowel (or colorectal) cancer in younger adults in 27 out of the 50 countries and territories included in their study. For the first time, these include parts of Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Asia.
“Early-onset colorectal cancer is a growing global phenomenon,” explained Dr Yin Cao from Washington University in St Louis, whose work on the study we supported through Cancer Grand Challenges. “But, at the same time, it is still rare. In the UK, the incidence of colorectal cancer in under-50s is just one-tenth of the incidence in older populations. Even though it is increasing, I don’t think people should be scared.”
The analysis suggests that England experienced the fourth fastest (3.6% per year) rise in the rate of early-onset bowel cancer in the decade to 2017, behind only New Zealand, Chile and Puerto Rico. This increase was not matched in the other devolved nations of the UK.
As risk factors and diagnostic pathways are similar across UK countries, it’s likely this variation is linked to population differences. Because the overall number of diagnoses is so much lower in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, small fluctuations can make it much harder to establish a trend over time.
“More research is needed to understand whether there are genuine differences between the nations, and how to address them,” said Katrina Brown, a a senior cancer intelligence manager here at Cancer Research UK.
“The important thing to focus on is that the rate of colorectal cancer in 25 to 49-year-olds is the same across the UK at this point,” added Dr Cao.
Of all the countries and territories included in the study, the UK nations rank 16th to 19th for the overall rate of early-onset bowel cancer. The rate is highest in Australia, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, the US, and South Korea.
