Activists pose at a colorectal cancer awareness installation on the National Mall showcasing the increasing number of cases in young adults on March 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The installation was a visual representation of more than 27,400 people under the age of 50 estimated to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2030.
Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fight Colorectal Cancer
Obesity and alcohol consumption are fueling bowel cancer’s rising death toll among young adults, according to newly published research in a leading cancer journal.
The study, published Sunday in the Annals of Oncology, marks the first time bowel cancer deaths among young people—Millennials and Gen Xers ages 25-49—are predicted to rise in some European countries, and confirms a trend researchers first noted in 2021.
The greatest European increase will be seen in the U.K., where such deaths are predicted to rise by 39% and 26% in women and men, respectively, this year when compared to 2018. That’s according to Dr. Carlo La Vecchia, professor of medical statistics and epidemiology at the University of Milan, Italy, and lead author on the paper.