August M
Scientists are turning to the past to understand a worrying modern trend. Archived bowel cancer samples, some nearly 100 years old, are being re-examined as researchers search for clues behind a sharp rise in the disease among younger people.
While bowel cancer remains more common in older adults, doctors say the growing number of young patients is becoming harder to ignore.
A global pattern
According to BBC News, increases in bowel cancer among younger adults have been recorded worldwide. In the UK, rates among under-24s have risen by 75% since the early 1990s, while cases among those aged 25 to 49 are up by 51%.
Despite extensive research, scientists are still uncertain why the trend is accelerating. Factors ranging from obesity and ultra-processed food to antibiotics, gut bacteria, air pollution and microplastics have all been proposed.
A unique archive
At the heart of the investigation is a vast archive held beneath St Mark’s The National Bowel Hospital in London. The basement stores tens of thousands of bowel cancer samples collected over decades from every patient treated at the hospital.
Preserved in paraffin wax, the samples include both cancer tissue and accompanying gut bacteria.
They are now being sent to the Institute of Cancer Research for advanced molecular analysis that was not previously possible.
Searching for causes
Researchers believe different causes of cancer leave distinct signatures in DNA. By comparing these genetic patterns across decades, scientists hope to identify what has changed over time.
“Our leading idea is that there’s a particular kind of E. coli that lives in the bowels of young people today that wasn’t there in the past,” said Prof Trevor Graham of the Institute of Cancer Research. He said toxins released by these bacteria may damage DNA and trigger cancer.
Lived experience
The human impact of the rise is reflected in the experience of Holly, now 27, who was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer at 23.
Her early symptoms were initially dismissed as irritable bowel syndrome before she became critically unwell.
She said chemotherapy “affected me in ways that I never thought it would” and that “the hardest thing was just accepting that… life won’t be the same”. Although cancer-free for more than three years, she said being diagnosed young still leaves her “screaming and crying”.
Urgent need
Dr Kevin Monahan, a consultant gastroenterologist at St Mark’s, said: “Bowel cancer in people under the age of 50 is increasing worldwide, including in the UK, and it’s becoming more and more of a problem.”
“We need to develop ways that we can prevent these cancers effectively,” he added. Prof Graham described the archive as a “real treasure trove”, saying: “I think the answer might be in this room.”
Sources: BBC News
