Why are more young people getting bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer is rising fast in under-50s. We're helping drive UK and global research to understand why — and what we can do to stop it.

A worrying rise in younger adults 

Bowel cancer is rising rapidly in people under 50 in the UK. Among adults aged 25–49, cases have increased by over 50% in the past 25 years – a trend that shows no sign of slowing. 

Younger people often face delays in diagnosis, with many being told they’re too young to have bowel cancer. Some are only diagnosed in A&E, when the disease is already advanced and harder to treat. We know this all too well from the powerful experiences shared in our Never Too Young report. 

We urgently need research to understand why this is happening — and how to stop it. 

So, what might be going on? 

This type of bowel cancer is often called early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC). It’s not yet fully understood — and that’s part of the problem. Many younger patients have no family history or obvious risk factors. 

Researchers believe a whole range of things could be involved: 

• Changes in diet, gut health and the microbiome (the collection of bacteria and other tiny organisms that live in your gut) 

• Epigenetic changes – how our genes behave, influenced by environment and lifestyle 

• Shifts in the wider “exposome” – everything our bodies are exposed to over a lifetime  

• Pollution, chemical exposure, or stress 

This is complex stuff. But that’s exactly why a coordinated research effort is so important. 

Stepping up on a global scale 

We’re proud to be part of a major new international initiative, started by our friends in the United States at Fight Colorectal Cancer. From the 18-19 June 2025, researchers, patients and charities from across six continents will come together at the Global Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Think Tank (GEOCRCTT) in Barcelona. 

This is about more than just sharing knowledge. It’s about shaping a global research agenda — with the goal of understanding what’s driving the rise in early-onset bowel cancer, and what needs to happen next. 

The meeting will focus on the causes of early-onset colorectal cancer (known as 'aetiology') and will lead to a programme of ongoing research work. This will include looking into the microbiome, developing biobanking (making patients’ blood and tissue available for research) and building a truly international evidence base. 

It’s a big step — and we’re proud to be helping make it happen. 

Leading research here in the UK 

Alongside the global effort, we’re also supporting vital research here at home through the UK Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Research Collaborative. Formed in late 2024 and supported by us and the British Society of Gastroenterology, the group brings together around 50 researchers from across the UK. It’s led by Professor Colin Rees and Professor Kevin Monahan, two of the UK’s leading experts in this space. 

The collaborative is developing several research workstreams focused on the most urgent and unanswered questions in early-onset colorectal cancer. These include: 

• Designing a large-scale study to understand key risk factors 

• Understanding how people perceive their risk of bowel cancer 

• Exploring how our environment affects health across different generations 

• Optimising the faecal immunochemical test and exploring links between the gut microbiome and test sensitivity 

• Building a UK early-onset colorectal cancer registry of patients 

• Exploring connections between inflammatory bowel disease and early-onset colorectal cancer

Importantly, the group includes a dedicated team of patient representatives who are helping to shape research questions, bring lived experience into the room, and ensure that future studies focus on what matters most to those affected. 

The collaborative will meet again in autumn 2025 to take this work forward and build on the progress already made. 

What we’re doing — and why it matters 

This rise in bowel cancer in younger people is one of the most urgent challenges we face in cancer research right now.

We’re stepping up to: 

• Drive global collaboration through the Global Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Think Tank and the UK early-onset colorectal cancer initiative

• Fund and support UK research into early-onset colorectal cancer

• Campaign for early diagnosis and better awareness through work like our Never Too Young campaign 

• And keep patient voices at the heart of everything we do 

How you can help

This is a complex problem — but one we can solve together. With your support, we can fund the research, push for earlier diagnosis and help stop more young lives being lost to this disease.