CANCER – it’s a word we all dread to hear.
Yet an alarming rise in cases means more and more young people are facing the disease.
A landmark study recently showed rates of all cancers in under-50s have surged 79 per cent in the last three decades.
The Sun’s columnist and inspirational campaigner Dame Deborah James died last year aged 40 — five-and-a-half years after being diagnosed with bowel cancer at 35.
The Wanted’s Tom Parker lost his life to an aggressive brain tumour at the age of 33 last March. Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding was 39 years old when she died of breast cancer in 2021.
From tongue scraping to saying no, here are 12 health trends to try in 2023
While 90 per cent of cancer cases are in the over-50s, according to Cancer Research UK, their deaths serve as a stark reminder that the disease does not discriminate.
Dr James East, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London, tells Sun Health early onset cancers have risen at a notable rate in recent years.
He says: “In part, this is down to genetic mutations, an increase in obesity, adoption of Western diets higher in red meat and processed foods, and increased smoking and alcohol use, as well as environmental factors, such as air pollution.”
The new study led by scientists at the University of Edinburgh found cancer cases in people aged 14 to 49 increased from 1.82 million worldwide to 3.26 million between 1990 and 2019.
A similar study from Harvard University found early onset cases were rising rapidly in 14 types of cancer, including digestive cancers, skin, breast, reproductive cancers and blood cancers.
Meanwhile, the Edinburgh study found breast cancer accounted for the largest number of cases (most cases in under-50s) and rose 7.7 per cent between 2010 and 2019.
There are 55,000 cases of breast cancer spotted every year in the UK, around 10,000 of which are in women under 50. One in seven women will be diagnosed with it in their lifetime, and the risk is higher if you have a family history of the disease.
“So it’s important that all women regularly check their breasts and get to know their normal,” says Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, of Breast Cancer Now.
Last month, influencer Nicky Newman died of the disease at the age of just 35, having been diagnosed at 30. She shared her journey of living with cancer, inspiring her followers to “go grab life”.
Meanwhile, Welsh Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden, 33, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in May, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.
How to de-clutter if you have a beauty stash to last you a lifetime
At the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, campaigners urged women and men of all ages to check themselves.
Patients have a better shot at survival if their tumours are spotted early. Dr Termcinaite says: “While many women know that a lump can be a possible symptom of breast cancer, there are other signs and symptoms to look for.
“These include changes to the skin, such as dimpling or puckering, changes to the nipple or nipple discharge. Although most breast changes won’t be cancer, contact your GP if you notice anything.”
But it’s not just breast cancer. The Edinburgh research showed the sharpest rises in cases under 50 were in windpipe and prostate cancer. They are diagnosed 2,300 and 52,000 times a year in the UK respectively.
Another notable rise was seen in cases of bowel cancer. Dame Debs raised awareness that it can strike at any age. The mum-of-two spearheaded The Sun’s No Time 2 Lose campaign, successfully putting pressure on the Government to lower the age for bowel cancer screening from 60 to 50.
Dr Lisa Wilde, of Bowel Cancer UK, says: “Cases of bowel cancer among the under-50s have risen faster than deaths from the disease. This shows that we can treat bowel cancer and reinforces the importance of early diagnosis when treatment is more likely to be successful.”
While science continues to search for answers, the scientists are clear: Whatever your age, you’re not immune to cancer so it’s vital to see your GP with any worrying changes.
Six potential reasons behind the rise
Quick spot
BETTER detection could be behind the rise, scientists believe.
Dr East says: “Thanks to ever-improving technology and an increasingly sophisticated understanding of who is most at risk, we are able to diagnose many cancers before symptoms develop.
“We are also better able to catch it in the early stages of symptoms when cancer often is most treatable, or before growths become cancerous.
“That’s why keeping up to date on screening tests is so important.”
Fat Britain
OBESITY has been rising globally for decades.
Around a quarter of all British adults are obese, including 27 per cent of 35 to 44-year-olds.
Dr Asiya Maula, GP at medical centre The Health Suite, says: “Obesity is the second leading cause of cancer after smoking, increasing the risk of 13 different types of cancer.
“Obesity leads to chronic inflammation, has an effect on our hormones and importantly leads to insulin resistance, causing an increase in blood glucose levels.
“We know cancer feeds off sugar.”
Diet woes
POOR diets could be putting more young people at risk of cancer.
And in the midst of the UK’s cost of living crisis, it’s likely to get worse.
A 2022 report by the Food Foundation says healthy foods are getting increasingly pricey, currently three times more expensive than unhealthy products.
Dr Maula says: “High intakes of genetically modified foods, ‘beige’ foods, simple carbohydrates, processed meats, charred foods and sugary drinks, are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
“A balanced diet, rich in phytonutrients — eat the rainbow — and antioxidants, good fats, complex carbohydrates and lean clean proteins, can help reduce the risk.”
Couch potatoes
BRITS are around 20 per cent less active now than they were in the 1960s, according to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).
Being physically active lowers cancer risk, mainly by preventing obesity.
Dr Lester Barr, a consultant breast surgeon and founder of Prevent Breast Cancer, said: “Moderate to vigorous daily exercise seems to lower your breast cancer risk by about a fifth compared to being sedentary.
“Gentle walking is not good enough — it needs to be sufficient to raise your heart rate and make you feel sweaty.”
Lit-up
SMOKING rates remain high worldwide, killing around eight million people a year.
And it's a confirmed risk factor for many types of cancer, including breast cancer.
Dr Barr says: “Women who smoke should try to quit to protect their future health.”
Dr East adds: “Cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco contain cancer-causing substances called carcinogens.”
Booze
ALCOHOL consumption has fallen in Britain 16 per cent since 2004.
But there were almost 9,000 alcohol-specific deaths in 2020 - up 18.6 per cent on the year before, indicating an increase in ‘problem drinking’.
Dr East says: “Research has shown that alcohol use raises the risk of several forms of cancer, including breast, colon, liver, oesophageal, laryngeal and mouth cancers.”
The recommended limit is 14 units a week, although this isn’t necessarily safe.
Mutant genetics
GENETIC mutations can also increase your cancer risk.
Dr East says: “Genetic mutations can cause cells to go haywire and become cancerous.
“The most common mutations cause cells to grow and divide at an unusually rapid pace, grow uncontrollably, or fail to correct errors within cells.”
He says people can be born with inherited genetic mutations.
But they can be developed throughout life due to lifestyle and environmental factors, too.
Dr East says: “It is important to know your family history of cancer and share that with your doctor.”
Growing diabetes
TYPE 2 diabetes - a disease affecting more than five million Brits - and cancer have many of the same causes.
It’s estimated that 20 per cent of cancer patients have diabetes, which may in itself also be a risk factor for cancer.
Type 2 diabetes doubles the risk of getting pancreatic, liver and endometrial cancer, according to Diabetes.co.uk.
A smaller increased risk, of 20-50 per cent, is seen for bowel, bladder and breast cancer.
Dr East says: “There is a link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer that is not yet fully understood.
“What research has shown so far is that some people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were diagnosed with diabetes a year or two earlier, or had diabetes that became more difficult to control.”
Dr Maula says: “Elevated blood sugar levels, associated with conditions such as diabetes and insulin resistance, can promote cancer growth and progression.
“This is because cancer cells require energy to grow quickly, which can be gained from sugar.”
Toxic air
AIR pollution rates have fallen in recent decades in Britain, but are increasing around the world.
Dr East says: “Tiny pollution particles in the air can promote inflammation and the growth of cells in the lungs which carry cancer-causing mutations.
“This can cause lung cancer even in those who have never smoked. Globally about 300,000 deaths per year are attributed to this form of air pollution.”
