Why the increase in bowel cancer among under-50s?
And should we lower the screening age in Australia to catch these people at risk?
Bowel cancer mostly affects people over the age of 50, but recent evidence suggests it’s on the rise among younger Australians.
Our study, published recently in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, found the incidence of bowel cancer, which includes colon and rectal cancer, has increased by up to 9% in people under 50 from the 1990s until now.
Our research examined all recorded cases of bowel cancer from the past 40 years in Australians aged 20 and over. Previous studies assessing bowel cancer incidence in young Australians have also documented an increase in the younger age group.
Read more: Interactive body map: what really gives you cancer?
