UK launches massive study to uncover why bowel cancer is rising in younger adults
Researchers at King’s College London and health firm Zoe are recruiting 250,000 UK volunteers for the Prospect-UK study to investigate the surge in early-onset bowel cancer.
A new nationwide research project called Prospect-UK aims to enroll a quarter-million adults across the United Kingdom to explore why bowel cancer diagnoses are climbing among those younger than 50. Led by Professor Sarah Berry and Dr. Rosiered-Brownson Smith of King’s College London, in partnership with health-science company Zoe, the study will collect extensive dietary, lifestyle and environmental data through online questionnaires and, for a smaller group, detailed food logs plus blood and stool samples.
Participants will also link their responses to electronic health records to monitor future cancer outcomes. The effort follows data showing a substantial rise in early-onset bowel cancer worldwide since 1990, with the UK experiencing a notable increase, prompting calls for large-scale, long-term evidence to pinpoint causal factors such as obesity and processed-food consumption. Cancer research bodies, including Cancer Research UK and Cancer Grand Challenges, support the work, hoping it will eventually inform prevention strategies.
Why it matters
Understanding the drivers of rising early-onset bowel cancer could lead to prevention measures and save lives.
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