'Concerning' rise in cancer cases among adults under 50

A charity says there have been increases in rates of prostate, kidney, womb, liver, pancreas and breast cancers among adults aged under 50.

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) said while most cancers are still diagnosed in older adults, the trajectory is "concerning" and should make people "pause and think".

It analysed NHS data in England and compared the rates of diagnoses among people in 2001 and 2023.

According to the charity, there was the equivalent of 3.6 prostate cancer cases per 100,000 men aged under 50 in 2023 - compared with just one in every 100,000 back in 2001.

Rates of women aged under 50 diagnosed with womb cancer increased from 1.8 per 100,000 in 2001 to 3.9 per 100,000 in 2023.

Women under the age of 50 diagnosed with breast cancer increased from 42 per 100,000 in 2001 to 47.5 per 100,000 in 2023.

Bowel cancer cases among younger adults increased from 3.9 cases per 100,000 adults under 50 in 2001 to 8.4 per 100,000 in 2023.

Kidney cancer was up from 1.5 cases per 100,000 adults under 50 in 2001 to three in 2023.

Liver cancer rates among adults under 50 rose from 0.5 per 100,000 in 2001 to 0.8 per 100,000 in 2023.

During the same period, early cases of pancreatic cancer rose from 0.8 per 100,000 in 2001 to one per 100,000 in 2023.

Figures from Cancer Research UK show that, between the early 1990s and 2019, overall cancer incidence rates in 25 to 49-year-olds in the UK increased by 24%.

Dr Giota Mitrou, executive director of research and policy at WCRF, said: "These figures should make us pause and think because this current trajectory is concerning.

"Behind every figure is a person facing cancer earlier than they, their family and often their doctor would expect.

"These findings show that the early onset cancer picture in England is far wider and more complex, involving several cancers rather than bowel cancer alone.

"While cancer is still much more common in older adults, these changing patterns among younger generations need to be treated as a serious research and cancer prevention priority."

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WCRF said that the biological mechanisms behind early onset cancers are not fully understood as it called for more studies to find what is driving the increase.

It comes after a new study was launched to investigate why bowel cancer cases are rising among younger adults.

Experts said early onset bowel cancer has increased "substantially" around the world since 1990, and the UK has one of the fastest rising rates.

The trial, known as Prospect-UK, will track 250,000 people over time, looking at diet and lifestyle factors.

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Concerning' rise in cancer cases among adults under 50