30 April 2026
A significant piece of research made headlines this week. Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research and Imperial College London published a major analysis showing that 11 different cancers are becoming more common in young people in England. The BBC’s report on the study is well worth reading in full.
The 11 cancers identified are: bowel, thyroid, multiple myeloma, liver, kidney, gallbladder, pancreatic, womb lining (endometrial), mouth, breast, and ovarian cancer.
What did the research find?
The study, published in the journal BMJ Oncology, found that most of the lifestyle factors traditionally linked to cancer risk – smoking, alcohol, low fibre intake, red meat consumption, and physical inactivity – are actually declining or stable in younger populations. Despite that, cancer rates are going up.
The researchers identified rising obesity levels as the most likely contributing factor identified so far, with excess weight linked to 10 of the 11 cancers. But here is the important detail: for bowel cancer in younger people, obesity accounts for only around 20% of the additional cases. 80% of the rise remains unexplained.
Prof Montserrat García Closas from the Institute of Cancer Research described the trend as “very worrisome”, while Prof Marc Gunter from Imperial College London acknowledged that there is “a lot we don’t know”, with ultra-processed foods, environmental chemicals, gut microbiome changes, and antibiotic use all under discussion as possible contributing factors.
Significantly, the researchers pointed to “early-life exposures” as a likely part of the picture – meaning the factors that drive cancer risk in adults may begin to act much earlier than the diagnosis itself.
What this means for children and young people
It is important to be precise here. This study focuses on adults in their late teens, 20s, 30s and 40s – not young children. The cancers driving the rise are largely adult cancers, and we would not want to overstate the direct link.
But the broader trend is real and it does extend into younger age groups. According to Cancer Research UK, cancer incidence in teenagers and young people has risen by 9% since the early 2000s. Children with Cancer UK has previously reported a 15% rise in childhood cancer incidence over a comparable period. And the researchers’ specific reference to early-life exposures as a contributing factor is a legitimate and important observation – one that points to childhood and adolescence as a period that matters for long-term cancer risk.
Cancer remains rare in children and young people relative to older populations. But it is the leading cause of death in children aged 1 to 9 in England and Wales, and around 550 children, teenagers and young adults lose their lives to cancer every year in the UK.
Why this matters to Finnbar’s Force
At Finnbar’s Force, we exist because cancer in children and young people is real, it is devastating, and it needs a community around it.
We run The Den, our support centre at 18 Eaton Street in Norwich, offering practical and emotional support to children and families across Norfolk who are facing a cancer diagnosis. We raise awareness, fund vital services, and stand alongside families at the hardest times of their lives.
Research like this week’s study reinforces something we believe deeply: awareness matters. Early diagnosis matters. And understanding why cancer rates are rising in younger people – and what we can do about it – is work that deserves attention, funding, and public support.
The scientists are clear that there is much still to learn. We think that is all the more reason to keep talking about it.
Read the BBC’s full report here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crepdjdj0z4o
Sources: BBC News; BMJ Oncology (Institute of Cancer Research / Imperial College London); Cancer Research UK; Children with Cancer UK; CCLG.