Leader and HealthA rise in cancers among younger people, particularly colorectal cancer, is prompting speculation on social media over the causes. Only slow, careful research can get to the truth 5 March 2025 Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo LibraryCareless pork costs lives, wrote The Sun newspaper, a British tabloid, in a headline about the bowel cancer risks associated with eating bacon sandwiches. That scaremongering story was published almost a decade ago, but spurious claims about lifestyle choices and cancer especially bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer are still rife. The big difference? The alarmist claims are largely playing out on social media and are increasingly targeted at the young.Why is this? In recent years it has become clear that rates of various cancers are rising in younger people. This is raising questions and speculation