Leading doctors are sounding the alarm about a concerning rise in abdominal cancers among younger individuals, with notable increases seen in under-45s. The Telegraph has more.
Following the Princess of Wales’s announcement of her diagnosis on Friday, specialist clinicians have said that in recent years they have seen a significant increase in under-45s presenting with cancers typically seen in older patients.
Many are fit and outwardly healthy, prompting a scramble among scientists to establish what is causing the trend.
One study that looked at data from Northern Ireland between 1993 and 2019 found the rate of early-onset cancers increased by 20.5%, the equivalent of about 7,000 extra cases a year across the U.K.
These cancers include those that come under the umbrella term “abdominal”. …
Prof. Andrew Beggs, a consultant colorectal surgeon and a senior clinical fellow at the University of Birmingham, runs a clinic for cancer patients under the age of 45.
“When I started as a cancer surgeon 20 years ago, you rarely saw any younger patients, but now I see them regularly,” he said.
“When they turn up they are shocked, because often they haven’t had any symptoms and because of their age they are not thinking about cancer.” …
There is significant confusion among researchers as to what might be causing the trend, although most agree it is unlikely to be down to a single factor.
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