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Bowel cancer cases are soaring in the under-50s and scientists are recruiting 250,000 volunteers to find out why

From the Newshound archive · first published 5 October 2026 · last updated 6 October 2026.

King's College London and health science company Zoe are launching Prospect-UK, a major trial seeking a quarter of a million volunteers to investigate why bowel cancer is striking younger adults at unprecedented rates. Early-onset bowel cancer has risen "substantially" worldwide since 1990, with the UK recording one of the steepest increases globally.

Volunteers will complete online questionnaires on diet, lifestyle and environment, with records linked to NHS health data to track cancer cases over time.

A smaller group will be asked to provide blood and stool samples alongside detailed diet diaries to give researchers deeper biological data.

MoreLBCBowel cancer study seeks 250,000 participants to see why cases of deadly illness are growing among under-50sCancer Research UK - Cancer News250,000-person study to investigate diet, lifestyle and the rise of bowel cancer in under-50s - Cancer Research UK - Cancer NewsThe TimesDiagnosed at 40 with stage 4 bowel cancer — I’ve had 57 rounds of chemo
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