27-05-2025
Australia now has the world's highest rate of bowel cancer for people under 50
Australia now holds a grim record — the highest rate of bowel cancer in people under the age of 50 anywhere in the world.
Once considered an 'old person's disease,' it is now the deadliest form of cancer for men under the age of 50, and second deadliest for women under 50.
The surge in early-onset cases has prompted health experts and advocacy groups to issue an urgent call to know the signs and push for screening earlier.
Andrew Saliba, a father-of-two, was just 36 years old when he noticed something wasn't right.
His wife urged him to see a doctor but was told he was too young to be anything serious:
'My wife nagged me to go to the doctor,' Saliba told 7NEWS.
'The doctor said you've probably got haemorrhoids. I got treated for that, and it was still happening. So I went to a second GP, and I pushed for a colonoscopy.
'Once I woke up from that, he informed me that he found something and I had cancer.'
The colonoscopy revealed he had stage three bowel cancer.
Andrew Saliba's story is becoming more common.
Since 2000, bowel cancer diagnoses in Australians under 40 have more than doubled.
No one knows exactly why, but experts are sounding the alarm.
The research also reveals 28,265 cases of aggressive types of early-onset bowel cancer over the past 30 years, including an estimated 4,347 additional early-onset bowel cancer cases attributable to the rising rates of the disease.
'We don't know why rates are rising,' said Julien Wiggins, CEO of Bowel Cancer Australia.
'Research is very important to address the issue, lowering the screening age is also extremely important.'
Currently, Australians over 50 receive free bowel cancer screening kits by mail every two years.
However, anyone over 45 can now request a kit through their GP.
For many, that earlier option could be life-saving.
'If I waited until the age of 45, it would have been too late for me,' Saliba reflected.
Recent findings from Australian researchers show that people born in 1990 are three times more likely to be diagnosed with bowel cancer than those born in 1950.
The reasons remain unclear, but several factors are under investigation including diet, obesity and gut health.
'We're looking closely at things like diet, weight gain, and changes to the gut microbiome,' Professor Mark Jenkins, a leading researcher in the field, told 7NEWS.
With no definitive cause identified, awareness is the most powerful tool currently available.
Kleenex has now partnered with Bowel Cancer Australia to help raise awareness by printing signs and messages on toilet paper rolls.
The campaign aims to prompt Australians to think twice about their symptoms and talk to their doctors.
Signs of bowel cancer can include
