Scientists Investigate the Unexplained Rise in Cancer Among Younger Adults - Video

Why are cancer rates rising among younger adults even as several lifestyle risk factors improve? A new study suggests that bowel, ovarian and several other cancers are becoming increasingly common among adults under 50 in England, with obesity alone unable to explain the concerning trends.

Published in BMJ Oncology, the study examined cancer incidence data from England's National Disease Registry Service between 2001 and 2019, comparing trends among adults aged 20 to 49 years with those aged 50 and older.

Researchers analysed more than 20 cancer types alongside established risk factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption, excess body weight, dietary habits and physical inactivity.

The findings revealed significant increases in 16 of 22 cancer types among younger women and 11 of 21 cancers among younger men.

Notably, bowel and ovarian cancers showed significant increases among younger adults but not among older age groups. Endometrial, kidney, pancreatic, thyroid cancers and multiple myeloma also increased more rapidly among younger women.

Excess body weight emerged as an important contributing factor, with obesity associated with 10 of the 11 cancers examined in greater detail.

However, researchers found that several established risk factors, including smoking, alcohol consumption and red meat intake, had remained stable or improved among younger adults.

For example, average daily red meat consumption among younger men declined from 38 grams in 2008 to 17 grams in 2018, while consumption among younger women decreased from 22 to 10 grams.

Despite these improvements, cancer incidence continued rising, suggesting that additional biological, environmental or early-life factors may be involved.

However, the observational study could not establish causation or identify the precise mechanisms responsible for increasing cancer rates.

The findings emphasise the need for further research into early-onset cancers while recognising that the overall burden of cancer remains substantially higher among older adults.

REFERENCE: Montserrat Garcia-Closas et al.; Temporal trends in behavioural risk factors for cancers with rising incidence in younger adults: an analysis of population-based data in England. BMJ Oncology, 2026; 5 (1): e000966 DOI: 10.1136/bmjonc-2025-000966