Century-Old Tumours Could Reveal Why More Young People are Getting Bowel Cancer

Bowel cancer samples that have been stored for up to a century will be analysed to try to solve the mysterious rise of the disease in young people.

Despite the majority of bowel cancers still being found in older adults, the rise in younger patients has been seen around the world.

This includes in the UK where bowel cancer rates have increased by 75% in the under-24s since the early 1990s - but scientists are unclear why.

The basement at St Mark's The National Bowel Hospital has a unique collection of tens of thousands of archived cancer samples.

These are now going through advanced scientific analysis to understand what caused each cancer and what's changed over the decades.

Holly, 27, is one of a growing number of young people getting the disease.

Her bloating and weight loss were originally put down to irritable bowel syndrome until she became so ill she ended up in A&E.

The young actress was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer and needed aggressive treatment when she was just 23.

Holly said the intense chemotherapy "affected me in ways that I never thought it would" and the "hardest thing was just accepting that… life won't be the same".

She now lives with a stoma and needs regular monitoring.

Holly has been cancer-free for more than three years and is planning her wedding, but says there are days that being diagnosed so young leaves her "screaming and crying".

"It all feels really unfair and I think, oh why me?"

Science doesn't have a clear answer either. Everything from obesity and ultra-processed foods, to antibiotics and the microbiome to air pollution and microplastics have been suggested.

- Author: James Gallagher, BBC

Read more...