Colorectal cancer rises among under-50s in Switzerland

Study: Colorectal cancer is on the rise among people under 50 in Switzerland Keystone-SDA

More and more young Swiss people are developing bowel cancer. Since 1980, the risk of new cases among the under-50s has risen by an average of around half a per cent per year, a new study shows.

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In a press release issued on Tuesday, the University of Geneva spoke of an “alarming” development. According to the university, the study published in the European Journal of Cancer is the first to analyse this phenomenon in Switzerland.

The researchers from the university and the university hospitals in Geneva analysed almost 100,000 cases from 1980 to 2021 for the study. In more recent years, around 7% of annual colorectal cancer diagnoses involved people under the age of 50.

The increase among younger people contrasts with the trend among the over-50s, where the risk of developing bowel cancer has decreased thanks to early detection programmes.

Possible reasons for the increase are changes in diet and exercise.

Adapted from German by AI/mga

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