Cancer rates in under-50s up by nearly a quarter

Cancer rates in people aged 25 to 49 increased by nearly a quarter (24%) from 1995 to 2019, according to a worrying new analysis by a cancer charity.

Around nine in 10 cancer cases still happen in people over 50, but early-onset cancers are a growing cause for concern, Cancer Research UK has warned.

Its latest data has suggested close to 100 younger adults in the UK are now being diagnosed with cancer every day.

The increase in the number of cancer cases in younger adults is still relatively small and is partially explained by population growth and improvements in diagnosis.

Still, the percentage change is more than twice the 10% rise in over-75s, the group most at risk of the disease, it said.

“Over recent decades, there has been a clear increase in cancer incidence rates in young adults in the UK,” said Professor Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician.

“Evidence suggests that more adults under 50 may be getting cancer than ever before,” he added.

Almost 35,000 people aged between 25 and 49 were diagnosed with cancer in 2019. Incidence rates in this age group grew from 132.9 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 164.6 in 2019.

The number of new cases in over-75s grew from 2,259.7 per 100,000 people to 2,482.7 per 100,000 over the same period.

“Changes to lifestyles and diets over time, and rising obesity, may all contribute to the uptick in early-onset cancer,” said Professor Swanton.

“Genetics, improvements in diagnosis and screening and the microbiome could also play a role. It really is a scientific conundrum that urgently needs to be solved.

“Around four in 10 cancer cases are preventable, and there are steps people can take to help reduce their cancer risk. Not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, being safe in the sun and cutting down on alcohol all makes a big difference,” Professor Swanton added.

Separately, a new blood test that can predict the risk of breast cancer returning three years before any tumours show up on scans has been hailed as an “incredibly exciting” breakthrough that could help more women beat the disease for good.

Research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting in Chicago showed that a personalised ‘liquid biopsy’ could provide a very early warning sign that cancer is returning.

Results from a trial of the tests suggest they may help reveal which women need preventive therapy and which patients can be spared it, The Observer newspaper reported.

The test detects minuscule amounts of cancer DNA in the bloodstream. Trial results show the test is so sensitive it can predict the risk of cancer coming back, months or even years before the usual signs or symptoms start to emerge.

Experts hope the findings will result in a strategy in which treatment can be started much earlier. The ultra-sensitive liquid biopsy works by finding circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) that is released into the bloodstream by cancer cells, the newspaper reported.

Researchers analysed blood from 78 patients with different types of breast cancer. The new test correctly flagged a high risk of recurrence in all 11 of the patients who relapsed during the five-year trial. All 60 women in whom the test did not find ctDNA did not relapse, meaning there were also no false negatives.

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