The number of admissions at UK private hospitals for patients aged under-50 with bowel cancer has gone up 50% since 2021
The admissions for patients under the age of 50 with bowel cancer at private hospitals in the UK have risen by 50% since 2021.
According to the latest figures from the Private Healthcare Information Network, quarterly private admissions increased from 620 to 925 between the last quarter of 2021 and the third quarter of last year. In contrast, the over-50 age group stayed relatively stable, at about 2,000 admissions per quarter.
Bowel cancer incidence is rising internationally, and the UK is seeing similar trends. In the private sector, there were 46,000 admissions for all age groups for the management and treatment of bowel cancer over this four-year period.
PHIN data indicate an upward trend with a 7% increase for admissions with bowel cancer as the primary diagnosis between the end of 2021 and the third quarter of last year. There was also a 22% increase in admissions for lower gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures used to diagnose and treat bowel cancer.
“For the under-50s, admissions are increasing at a faster rate than in the relatively stable trend observed in the over-50 group. This could be due to growing awareness of the symptoms and risks of bowel cancer due to campaigning and the increased accessibility to private services to get a diagnosis,” said Christopher Smith-Brown, clinical advisor at PHIN.
In the UK, bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer, with more than 42,000 people diagnosed every year. When detected early, patients have a 90% chance of surviving. When diagnosed late, at Stage 4, the survival rate drops to 10%.
In 2023, the rate in England, from NHS data, was at 73 cases per 100,000 population, and the incidence internationally has been rising sharply over the last 30 years, especially in younger adults.
Several risk factors have been attributed to this global phenomenon, including a sedentary lifestyle, coupled with ultra-processed food, leading to obesity.
These factors are associated with biological processes that may increase cancer risk, including DNA damage and disruption to normal cell regulation. Similarly, environmental toxins like microplastics and a disturbed gut microbiome (gut bacteria) lead to disruption in the healthy cell replication process and detection of damaged cells.
