The Christie has launched the UK’s first dedicated Early Onset Colorectal Cancer (EOCRC) nursing service
Cases of bowel cancer are on the rise in young people across the UK. Since 1993, rates in those aged 25-49 have risen by 48 per cent – with health experts warning the trend is a ‘growing global phenomenon’.
At The Christie, a specialist cancer hospital in Withington, Manchester, up to 11.6 per cent of all new bowel cancer patients seen between 2021 and 2023 were under 50
Lyndsey Ainscough, from Leigh, said being diagnosed with the disease aged just 38 was ‘terrifying’.
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“I was juggling work, three young children and a thousand unanswered questions,” she said. Currently, support pathways are not tailored to the needs of young people living with colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer.
In a bid to change that, The Christie has launched the UK’s first dedicated Early Onset Colorectal Cancer (EOCRC) nursing service.
The new service is built around a dedicated Clinical Nurse Specialist, funded for two years by The Christie Charity. This nurse will provide personalised support and assist patients with access to services, as well as help to strengthen links with medical, psychological and social care teams across Greater Manchester.
“Knowing there will be a specialist service for people my age is incredible,” Lyndsey said. “It means others won’t feel as lost as I did in those first weeks, and they’ll have support from someone who truly understands what younger patients are going through.”
While bowel cancer is still relatively uncommon in young people, global health experts warn the rise in cases is alarming, especially given rates are falling in older adults. As a result, experts say those born around 1990 are now four times more likely to develop colorectal cancer than those born in 1950.
Younger adults also aren’t screened in the UK, and because symptoms often appear only once the disease has progressed, diagnoses can come late. Experts say a combination of changes in diet, lifestyle and environmental exposures could be driving the trend.
The Christie hospital says it has launched the service as a response to the sharp rise in bowel cancer cases among people under 50.
Sabrina Scott, from Davenham in Cheshire, has been appointed as the EOCRC Specialist Nurse. She said: “We are seeing more younger people facing the life-changing impact of colorectal cancer, and their needs are profoundly different.
“This dedicated service ensures our younger patients receive holistic, age-appropriate care from the moment of diagnosis, while also enabling vital research that will shape the future of EOCRC treatment across the UK.
“I feel privileged to be taking on this role and lucky that we have such a supportive Charity funding roles such as mine that make a huge impact to the care and support we are able to offer our patients.”
Louise Hadley, CEO of The Christie Charity, says: “It is a privilege for us to be able to fund incredibly important services such as this. As a Charity we exist to support the work of The Christie hospital and provide care, treatment and services that are above and beyond what the NHS funds.
“The new EOCRC nursing service will ensure young colorectal cancer patients receive the support they need at one of the most challenging times of their lives.”


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