EXCLUSIVE Now give bowel cancer tests to EVERYONE from age 30, urge families hit by disease - as explosion in young cases continues of mystify doctors

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Campaigners are calling for routine bowel cancer checks for younger adults amid a sharp rise in cases among the under-50s.
A petition led by a grieving mother urging the NHS to lower the screening age from 50 to 30 has gathered nearly 10,000 signatures in just one month.
For years Cheryl had suffered abdominal pain and bloating—symptoms doctors repeatedly dismissed.
By the time she was diagnosed, in October 2024, it had already spread to her liver— and she died a few months later.
In the UK, bowel cancer claims nearly 17,000 lives a year, with cases rising sharply among younger adults. It is the fourth most common cancer in the UK.
Adults aged 50 to 74 in England are currently offered a free at-home bowel cancer test every two years.
But research shows those born in 1990 - now just 35 - are almost two-and-a-half times more likely to develop the disease than those born in 1950.
Margaret, from East Dunbartonshire, said: 'Cheryl was full of life and laughter, but because doctors thought she was too young to have cancer she is no longer with us.
'I will never forget when the doctor gave her the diagnosis, and said, "If I did not know your age, I would think this is a scan of an 80-year-old."
'It is so heartbreaking and unfair that she was dismissed by doctors. I want to make sure that this does not happen to anyone else.'
Dame Deborah James, who died aged 40 after raising over £11million for bowel cancer research, helped spotlight the growing number of diagnoses in under 50s.
She was diagnosed in 2016 at the age of 35, after initially being told her symptoms were likely due to stress - she was then a deputy head teacher - or irritable bowel syndrome.
When the national screening programme was introduced in 2006, experts estimated it could prevent about 1,200 deaths annually.
But with more than 2,600 people diagnosed each year before they reach screening age, campaigners say the system needs urgent reform.
Professor Sir Neil Mortensen, chairman of the Oxford Colon Cancer Trust and a leading bowel cancer expert, acknowledged 'a clear rise' in cases among under-50s - but cautioned that, as numbers remain low, 'it would take a lot of testing to find a case'.
He added: 'People should be given the option to request a test if they are under 50, just like those who are too old for the current screening programme.
'So if someone is predisposed to having a higher risk, like if they have a family history of the disease, then we would likely catch cases earlier.'
Bowel cancer survivor Gemma Savory is backing the rollout of an optional screening programme.
She was 35 when she began suffering from severe stomach pain and unexplained weight loss, shedding two stone.
GPs reassured her she was 'too young' to have cancer, despite a family history of the disease.
It wasn't until she was referred to hospital with vaginal bleeding, in 2014, that she was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer.
The cancer has since returned three times, although Ms Savory is now in remission.
But repeated surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy have left her 'feeling weak', and she has been diagnosed with a blood disorder and kidney failure caused by the treatment. She is reliant on dialysis, and a recent tumour removal surgery led to her developing sepsis.
'The money being spent on keeping me alive could have been saved with a simple screening test,' said Ms Savory.
A screening programme aims for the cancer to be detected at the earliest stage, as more than 90 per cent of people whose bowel cancer is caught then will live at least five years.
Critics argue that testing people in their 30s may not be cost-effective, as the overall incidence of bowel cancer in this age group remains relatively low. There are also concerns about over-diagnosis - the detection of abnormalities that may never be harmful, and the anxiety and potential complications caused by unnecessary follow-up procedures.
Nevertheless, experts say there is growing concern that young people are being diagnosed at the latest stage. Sir Neil said: 'Bowel cancer is still seen by many as something that only people in their 70s get, and that is not the case.'
With under 50s not eligible for bowel cancer screening, experts suggest being aware of the common symptoms. They include changes in toilet habits, such as softer stools, diarrhoea or constipation.
Other warning signs include going more or less often than usual, blood in the stool, or a feeling that you still need to go even after just going to the toilet.