Why are more young people getting bowel cancer?

为什么越来越多的年轻人患上肠癌?

The Story

2026-02-18

27 分钟
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James Van Der Beek’s death last week at just 48 shocked fans, reignited fears about a disease we still associate with old age. Cases of bowel cancer are rising in those under 50, even as rates fall among the elderly. To find out why, researchers are turning to a century of preserved samples. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest:  Ben Spencer, science editor, The Sunday Times Professor Trevor Graham,  director, Centre for Evolution and CancerHolly Masters, cancer patient  Host: Manveen Rana Producer: Julia Webster, Sophie McNulty We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Bowel cancer has doubled in under-50s: do the reasons lie in birth? Further listening: Why are more young people getting cancer? Photo: Getty. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is the story.

  • I'm Manveen Rana.

  • Going back to about summer of 2020,

  • I think I first noticed some symptoms and at that point I called up the GP and was told that I probably had piles.

  • Holly Masters is 28.

  • She lives in London and she's an actor.

  • Six years ago, she went to the doctor for what seemed like a relatively innocuous condition,

  • until it wasn't.

  • Being 22 at the time, no one would have thought it was bowel cancer.

  • It took a fateful trip to A&E a year later before Holly was properly diagnosed.

  • I remember being in the hospital and having to ring up my now fiance and tell him,

  • that they think I have cancer was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

  • Holly's life changed in an instant.

  • She was told she had stage 3 cancer and was plunged into cycles of radiotherapy and chemotherapy,

  • having to stop working and seeing friends to avoid any risk of infection.

  • All in her early 20s.

  • That's a time where You should be out having fun, figuring out who you are,

  • maybe you're going to university or you're starting your career and then cancer comes along and knocks you sideways and changes your life.

  • Thankfully, Holly is now in remission, but her case isn't as much of an anomaly as you'd think.

  • Bowel cancer in young people has doubled since the early 1990s,