Colorectal cancer is becoming more common in people under 50 and cases will increase in the next 10 years, research by cancer centre IKNL has shown.

Between 1998 and 2023, the number of cases of bowel cancer in 15 to 49-year-olds went up from 6.3 per 100,000 to 9.5, a rise of nearly 50%.

More research is needed to find the causes for the rise and ways to prevent the disease, researchers say. International studies have pointed to the consumption of red meat, alcohol use, and inactivity as risk factors.

In total, 654 people under 50 were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023 and that number is expected to rise to 762 a year by 2035.

Research quoted by the Guardian suggested that childhood exposure to a toxin produced by E.Coli in the bowel may be contributing to the rise of colo-rectal cancer in under-50s around the world.

People under 50 are currently not part of the screening programme for the disease. Early detection is key, however, the IKNL said. Symptoms include bloody stools, unexplained weight loss and persistent abdominal pain.