266%
Increase in incidents of bowel/colorectal cancer in adolescents and young adults in the past 3 decades.
Because they are young, they are overlooked for bowel cancer.
Early Onset Colorectal Cancer
Is a growing, under-recognised cancer inequality affecting young adults, disproportionately impacting deprived communities and often presents late due to structural barriers and gaps in screening and awareness
Among adults aged 17–49, cases have increased by over 50% in the past 25 years – a trend that critically shows no sign of slowing
50% of EOCRC patients present with advanced (Stage IV) disease, a higher proportion than in screen eligible older populations
Later diagnosis leads to poorer outcomes, more intensive treatment, and higher system cost
Recent UK tertiary centre data show case numbers more than tripling between 2018–2019 and 2020–2021 in some centres (from 33 to 118 cases)
Over half of UK EOCRC cases occur in people from more deprived areas, with a significant concentration in the most deprived deciles with poorer outcomes
Most EOCRC cases are not eligible for NHS bowel screening, making younger adults “hard-to-reach”
Data suggests - lower cancer awareness, delayed referral, and poorer access to support services in the hard-to-reach groups
Risk Factors
Such as obesity, diabetes, physical inactivity, heavy drinking, smoking and poor diet are increasingly prevalent among younger adults.
Many experience delays in diagnosis due to symptoms being dismissed as too young resulting in emergency presentations with poor outcomes
The Solution
Create an ethical global hub:
Educate
Inform young people on the risk, signs and symptoms of bowel cancer
Empower
Energise young people and hard to reach communities to get involved in their health
Support
Provide a safe forum and community platform to spark debate, appease anxieties and overcome structural barriers
Millennials are twice as likely to develop colon cancer and four times as likely to develop rectal cancer compared to people born in 1950.
How?
Empower and encourage young people to take control and responsibility for their gut health via diverse methods;
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Accessible expert advice
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Age specific forums, reflective of demographic, for co-design and co-creation
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Face2Face events designed for all communities
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Health apps and digital campaigns
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Culturally sensitive and inclusive messaging
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Collaborations with community leaders, partners and those in positions of trust
Providing a platform of knowledge and understanding, encouraging questions, curiosity and sharing
Real change can only occur through co-design and collaboration to overcome structural barriers
Only by involving and designing with our audience, not just for them, can we improve early detection and save
lives.
Over half of UK EOCRC cases occur in people from more deprived areas, with a significant concentration in the most deprived deciles with poorer outcomes
Confidential material
Embargoed, awaiting release of academic paper
EOCRC Report
GHP’s recent report – Inside Out – provides key insights on young adults' awareness and attitudes towards bowel cancer alongside their engagement in health behaviours and use of health-related media.
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Young people show low awareness of bowel cancer, especially its risk to younger generations
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Social media acts as a gateway to health knowledge
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Independent health changes are often navigated using online digital resources
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Lifestyle and wellness content is popular but cancer is not a topic of interest
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Conversations about bowel cancer are mostly reactive, driven by personal experiences or close family triggers, rather than proactive interest or public messaging
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Cultural stigma, generational silence, and mistrust of services significantly limits open conversations about bowel cancer, particularly in diverse communities
There is an opportunity to improve EOCRC outcomes by intervening earlier before diagnosis through targeted awareness, pathway navigation, and engagement with underserved populations.
Embargoed
EOCRC, also known as early-onset colorectal cancer, is predicted to be the
leading cause of death in individuals aged 20 to 49 years in the USA by 2030
That is in only 4 years time and, already, cases are increasing dramatically in people below 30 in many countries, including low and middle-income
Prevention Saves Lives
In recent years there has been a boom of gut health advice, often misleading and, at worst, dangerous
For younger audiences, there is a significant knowledge gap in accurate information about bowel cancer and the critical importance of healthy lifestyle behaviours.
Preventative measures include
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Nutrition and diet
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Gut health and wellbeing
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Mental wellbeing and resilience
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Importance of physical activity
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Other lifestyle factors – smoking, alcohol, substance abuse
More effective, targeted communication strategies are needed to ensure EOCRC pathways can be improved.
GHP's Ongoing Projects
1. Inside Knowledge – Youth forum, key report and UCL academic paper / policy influence
2. Inside Out - Your Microbiome and Gut Health Festival – Platform of credible health information and community collaborations celebrating the new science around gut health
3. Micro Matrix – A free online health education portal with resources for educators, parents and KS 1 & 2 pupils.
4. The Inside Story – A direct Face2Face healthy living and bowel cancer campaign targeted at low income and hard to reach communities – using the inflatable walk through exhibits, community collaborations and contributions from Expert Advisers
5. EOCRC (Early Onset Colorectal Cancer) targeted campaign based on recommendations of Inside Knowledge Report
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Young people centred digital campaign
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Opportunities for engaging diverse communities to address stigmas, foster trust
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Health app, credible expertise and online support forum for young adults
About Us
Jolanta Gore-Booth’s association with bowel cancer began in 1996 when she was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Colon Cancer Concern (now Bowel Cancer UK). Prior to this she worked as a fundraiser at Trinity Hospice UK.
In 2004 she founded and became CEO of EuropaColon, the first pan-European not-for-profit colorectal cancer (CRC) patient advocacy organisation. Jolanta strongly believed in the importance of collaboration and building
Europe-wide CRC communities. She later expanded EuropaColon into Digestive Cancers Europe where she served as Director until 2021.
In 2007 she designed and produced the first inflatable walk-through bowel to raise awareness of bowel cancer including its risks, signs and symptoms and the importance of screening.
In 2021 Jolanta established a new not-for-profit organisation - Global Healthcare Projects (GHP) to further apply and expand her expertise. Her work focuses on improving awareness and understanding of bowel cancer and screening in hard-to-reach communities.
In 2025 she was the driving force behind Inside Out - Your Microbiome and Gut Health Festival, which was held in the City of London, Paternoster Square and attended by HRH Princess Anne. GHP is currently working on a project focused on early-onset bowel cancer.
GHP
We are fully equipped to navigate challenging projects and are well informed to deliver credible campaigns.
Without targeted upstream action, EOCRC will continue to present late, widen inequalities, and increase longterm treatment costs despite being largely preventable and detectable earlier.
By empowering young adults with credible digital information, Face2Face direct community campaigns for holistic health knowledge, reducing stigma and improving access to early detection and screening, GHP can deliver lasting positive impact and strengthen the health of current and future generations.
