Australia records highest rates of 'aggressive' cancer in the world: 'We don't know why'

Yahoo

7 days ago

Australia is facing a troubling rise in one of the world's most aggressive cancers appearing in younger people — and experts admit they don't yet understand what's driving it. Despite overall declines in bowel cancer rates, cases among Australians under 50 are climbing fast, with researchers warning of a silent surge of the deadly disease in younger adults.
Professor Mark Jenkins, Head of the Colorectal Cancer Unit at the University of Melbourne, has been studying the trend. He said over the last 30 years, there have been more than 28,000 people under the age of 50 diagnosed with bowel cancer.
In Australia alone, researchers estimate this trend has led to 4,300 additional diagnoses of early-onset bowel cancer over that period. Bowel cancer develops in the lining of the colon or rectum, often without obvious symptoms at first, and can spread rapidly if not detected early.
"It's getting worse — in Australia, but also around the world — it's increasing," Jenkins told ABC Radio National on Wednesday. "So there's something going on, but we don't know why."
When Queensland woman Laura Corfield experienced "persistent pain" and discomfort in her tummy, she was reassured by doctors her symptoms were expected during pregnancy. But as weeks went on and the bowel trouble continued, she knew something "wasn't right".
The Brisbane mum felt nauseous early in her pregnancy, which continued for four more months. But a heartbreaking diagnosis 22 weeks into the pregnancy threw the "healthy" mum's life into a spin when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel cancer. She was just 35 years old.
"I was in total disbelief," she told Yahoo News Australia recently. "They said it was aggressive and really advanced. They used all those words you don't want to hear at that moment".
Various theories have been proposed, including increasing obesity, declining physical activity, lower use of protective medications like aspirin, and even exposure to microplastics. One of the country's leading specialists when it comes to microplastics, Dr Michelle Blewitt, previously explained to Yahoo how people often ingest the potentially deleterious material.
"Every time Aussies wash their clothes, millions of tiny microfibres are shed and released. When these plastics make their way into our oceans, they're often eaten by fish and aquatic life, and subsequently by us," she said. "Anything less than five millilitres in size is a microplastic, and if it gets smaller than one millilitre, it becomes nanoplastics, and then picoplastics, until we're breathing it in.
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"Whatever is consuming these plastics, they get a dose of those chemicals as well".
Blewitt said while we don't often consume the stomachs of fish, "what we do know is that when you're eating the whole animal, like a prawn or an oyster, you're eating a whole dose".
But while microplastics may play a role, it doesn't fully explain the rise, Jenkins pointed out.
"The strongest theory at the moment is that it's something to go with the bacteria in our gut, which we call the microbiome," he told ABC radio this morning. "Maybe there's been a change in them, maybe they've become more toxic over time. But it could be something else completely."
Given the mystery, researchers are now turning to molecular studies, analysing tumour DNA to try and pinpoint the causes. In the meantime, Jenkins said the best defence is early detection.
"The most effective thing that can be done is to try and diagnose bowel cancer before it becomes more serious," he said. People aged 45–49 are now eligible for the national screening program and can request a home test kit online. "It's a great one to do, it's really high quality, one of the best in the world."
He also urged younger Australians to stay alert. "Young people, though not in that age group, if they have a strong family history of bowel cancer, they should go and talk to their doctors… because they may be eligible for screening as well," he said.
Symptoms to watch for include blood in the stool, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue. "Some of those symptoms are pretty vague, but in combination, they might be signs that something is going on.'
Although the causes remain unclear, experts agree that living a healthy lifestyle — including regular exercise, a balanced diet, and not smoking — is one of the most effective steps people can take.
If bowel cancer is detected early, treatment is often highly effective — but once it spreads, it becomes far more challenging to manage.
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