Soaring numbers of young people will develop bowel cancer within the next 20 years, an alarming study has warned.
While cases in the over 50s have declined, numbers for younger adults aged 20 to 49 are expected to rocket.
Data from 1975 to 2010 showed cases among the elderly - who are screened for the disease - have reduced.
However,
rates increased for patients 20 to 49 years old, with the biggest
increase of 1.99 per cent in patients aged 20 to 34 years old.
And
worryingly, by 2020, the incidence rate of bowel cancer in people aged
20-34 will increase by 37.8 per cent. By 2030, this will be 90 per cent.
But for patients older than 50, it will decrease by 23.2 per cent by 2020 and 41.1 per cent by 2030.
The
findings are surprising as until now, bowel cancer - often called
colorectal cancer as it starts in the colon or the rectum - has been
mainly a disease of the elderly.
In the UK, almost nine out of 10 people with bowel cancer are over 60 years old.
Dr
Christina Bailey of the University of Texas, said: 'The increasing
incidence of colorectal cancer among young adults is concerning and
highlights the need to investigate potential causes and external
influences such as lack of screening and behavioural factors.'
Previous
research found that snacking on chocolate, biscuits and cakes could
increase the risk of the disease - as could drinking fizzy drinks.
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF BOWEL CANCER?
It's not known exactly what causes bowel cancer, but there are a number of things that can increase the risk. These include:
Age – almost nine in 10 cases of bowel cancer occur in people aged 60 or over
Diet – a diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre can increase your risk
Weight – bowel cancer is more common in people who are overweight or obese
Exercise – being inactive increases the risk of getting bowel cancer
Alcohol and smoking – a high alcohol intake and smoking may increase your chances of getting bowel cancer
Family history
– having a close relative who developed bowel cancer below 50 years of
age puts you at a greater lifetime risk of developing the condition
It's already known that red or processed meat, for example bacon and sausages, is linked with bowel cancer.
The
three main symptoms are blood in the stools, changes in bowel habit
(such as to more frequent, looser stools) and abdominal pain.
The
study found from 1998 through 2006, the incidence of bowel cancer
declined 3 per cent per year in men and 2.4 per cent in women.
This was mainly because better screening was recommended for all adults over 50 years old.
However screening is not routine for those under 50 - meaning many patients are diagnosed late.
The
study analysed age disparities in trends of the cancer in the U.S. from
the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) CRC registry.
This included all patients diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer from 1975 through 2010.
The study results indicate that overall, the rate of diagnosis declined 0.92 per cent between 1975 and 2010.
The
most pronounced decline was 1.15 per cent in patients 75 years or
older, while the rate for patients 50 to 74 years dropped 0.97 per cent.
Commenting
on the findings, Dr Kiran Turaga, of the Medical College of Wisconsin,
Milwaukee, said the findings were 'rather unsettling'.
He
added: 'Nevertheless, assuming that this increasing incidence of
colorectal cancer in young adults is a real phenomenon, it begs the
question of why this is occurring and what one should do about it.'
Widely
screening people of all ages for the cancer might add significant cost
and risk without any benefits to society, he added.
'However,
this report should stimulate opportunities for development of better
risk-prediction tools that might help us identify these individuals
early and initiate better screening/prevention strategies,' he
continued.
In
the future, cancer experts could diagnose bowel cancer using DNA tests
of stools, genomic profiling and mathematical modelling.
The study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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