King’s College London and ZOE Seek 250,000 Volunteers for Bowel Cancer Study

Researchers at King’s College London and ZOE are recruiting 250,000 UK volunteers for the PROSPECT-UK study to investigate surging early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults under 50. The major community trial aims to track diet, lifestyle habits, and brand-level food consumption to uncover triggers behind the sharp rise.

A major nationwide research initiative is urgently seeking a quarter of a million volunteers to tackle a troubling medical mystery. Cases of bowel cancer among adults under the age of 50 have doubled since 1990, and the United Kingdom currently bears one of the fastest-rising rates globally. The large-scale community study, known as PROSPECT-UK, brings together investigators from King’s College London and health science company ZOE to track thousands of adults over time and pin down the hidden drivers behind this generational shift.

The Scale of the Early-Onset Bowel Cancer Rise in the UK

While bowel cancer remains predominantly a disease of older adults—with more than nine in ten diagnoses still occurring in people over 50—the steady climb among younger populations has alarmed public health specialists. According to data from Cancer Research UK, overall incidence rates for adults aged 25 to 49 have jumped by more than 50% since the early 1990s. More specifically, incidence in that age group surged by 62.3% over the same timeframe, climbing from roughly eight cases per 100,000 people in the mid-1990s to 13 per 100,000 between 2018 and 2021.

King’s College London and ZOE Seek 250,000 Volunteers for Bowel Cancer Study — Photo: independent.co.uk

Nationwide, roughly 48,200 individuals receive a bowel cancer diagnosis each year, with approximately 2,900 of those patients falling into the 25-to-49 age bracket.

How the PROSPECT-UK Trial Tracks Diet and Lifestyle Factors

To uncover why younger generations face higher risks, the PROSPECT-UK study will ask participants to complete regular online questionnaires detailing their diet, daily lifestyle habits, environment, and personal health while consenting to link their electronic health records. A smaller subgroup of volunteers will also provide detailed diet diaries alongside blood and stool samples to give researchers a deeper look into biological markers.

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Over just a few generations our lifestyles, diets and environments have changed dramatically, but we don’t know which of these changes are increasing people’s risk of bowel cancer or which ones could help reduce it. We urgently need large-scale, long-term data to uncover the true causes of early-onset bowel cancer.

Professor Sarah Berry, chief investigator of the trial and professor of nutritional sciences at King’s College London

Rising rates of obesity are widely suspected as a contributing factor, alongside modern shifts in nutrition. Researchers emphasize that around 60 per cent of calorie intake in the UK comes from ultra-processed foods. Because these products vary substantially in ingredients, processing methods, and nutritional profiles even within identical food categories, the trial will collect brand-level details on what volunteers actually consume.

International Funding and Personal Stakes Behind the Research

The PROSPECT-UK trial contributes directly to PROSPECT, a global interdisciplinary team funded through Cancer Grand Challenges—a research initiative backed by Cancer Research UK, the US National Cancer Institute, The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, and The French National Cancer Institute (INCa). The Bowelbabe Fund was established in memory of the late campaigner and podcaster Dame Deborah James, who was diagnosed with stage IIIB rectal cancer in 2018 at the age of 39 and passed away in 2022.

Deborah was a vegetarian, she loved running and lived a healthy lifestyle, and yet she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. And diagnosed too late to beat the odds. If we can identify those people under 50 who are more likely to develop bowel cancer we can increase the chance of catching cases earlier, at a time when treatment is more likely to be successful.

Seb Bowen, husband of Dame Deborah James, via The Sun

Medical professionals note that younger adults are frequently diagnosed at later stages because routine screening programs start later in life and common symptoms are frequently mistaken for other conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or hemorrhoids. Experts advise anyone experiencing persistent abdominal pain, blood in their stool, unexplained weight loss, or noticeable changes in bowel habits to seek immediate medical evaluation. Adults aged 18 and older living in the UK can register to participate in the trial by visiting the Healthspan Connect study portal managed by King’s College London.