Bowels & Braids: The Rise of Cancer Diagnoses in Young People

Trigger warning: In this post, we discuss cancer. If this is a sensitive topic for you, please take care while reading. There will be a summary of the main takeaways at the end, so please feel free to skip to that.

In recent years, there’s been a worrying trend of an increase in cancer diagnoses among young people, in particular Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer. You may have also heard recent news about the presence of carcinogens in synthetic braiding hair and hair products typically used by Black people. It may come as a surprise to hear that Black women are disproportionately affected by this rise in cancer diagnoses. In this blog post, we take a look at the rise of cancer diagnoses in young people and what may be contributing to it.

The rise of cancer diagnoses in young people

Image by National Cancer Institute from Unsplash

There are many different types of cancer. Certain types of cancer are usually diagnosed during specific age periods. For example, leukaemia is usually diagnosed in early childhood, and lymphomas are the most common group of cancers in teenagers and young people (1). Rates of cancer in children and young people are low compared to rates of cancer in older adults. Currently, around 50% of global cancer diagnoses are in adults over 65 years old (2). As we get older, our risk of developing cancers such as melanoma and bowel, breast, prostate, and lung cancer increases. Scientists believe that this could be due to a range of different factors, such as age-specific cell mutations and changes in tumour-invading immune cells, which may make them less effective in older adults (3). As a result of this, governments all over the world implement screening programmes for people of specific ages to encourage them to get tested for various cancers at different ages. In the UK, for example, people with a cervix over 25 years old are encouraged to go for regular cervical cancer screenings, and people over 50 years old are sent reminders to have bowel and breast cancer tests every few years.

As humans are living longer than ever before, cancer has become one of the biggest issues we face. There is still so much we don’t know about cancer and how to cure or prevent it. Cancer research has expanded into a huge area of science in our quest to understand it. Scientists have been tracking rates of cancer for a long time and, in recent years, have begun noticing a worrying trend. More and more young people between the ages of 20 and 50 are being diagnosed with cancers that we typically associate with older adults, such as bowel cancer. In the UK, rates of diagnosis have risen by over 20% in the last 20 years, and similar trends have also been spotted in many other countries around the world, although studies show that this rise is more prominent in higher-income countries such as those in the Global North. As screening programmes for these cancers are not aimed at younger adults, the likelihood of the symptoms of these cancers being missed is high, resulting in later-stage diagnoses that are much harder to treat. A famous example of this was the unexpected passing of actor Chadwick Boseman in 2020, who was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in 2016.

What does this mean for us?

Image by Monstera Production from Pexels

Scientists are not entirely sure what is behind this rise in cancer diagnoses in young people. Recent research suggests that in higher-income countries, childhood exposure to colibactin-producing E coli may be a large contributor to increased incidences of colon, bladder and prostate cancer in young people, but it is not clear how these bacteria ended up in the guts of so many people (4).

However, what is clear is that for people who experience inequalities when it comes to accessing healthcare, the consequences can be severe. Unfortunately, intersectional factors may mean that Black women are uniquely disadvantaged. This is particularly true in the US, where Black people are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with bowel cancer compared to White people (5). In the UK, however, research has found that rates of cancer diagnoses are lower in Black and Asian communities compared to White people (6,7). Some scientists attribute this to the ‘healthy migrant effect’ and a lower prevalence of cancer risk factors such as smoking cigarettes. It is also important to note that other factors such as lower health literacy, socioeconomic barriers and reluctance to engage with national cancer screening programmes may also contribute to lower diagnosis rates in Black and Asian communities (8).

What’s hair got to do with it?

While young Black women in the UK may be at a lower risk of developing bowel cancer, there are other cancers that we should watch out for. Recent research suggests that frequent use (>4 times a year) of chemical hair straighteners, commonly known as relaxers, and semi-permanent hair dyes may increase the likelihood of Black women developing a range of cancers such as uterine cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer (9,10). These products contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals, some of which were also shown to worsen asthma when fumes from the products were inhaled (11).  

Image by Maria Lupan from Unsplash

You may have also recently come across some discourse around the presence of carcinogens in synthetic braiding hair. This conversation was sparked by an article from Consumer Reports, which claimed that cancer-causing chemicals were present in 100% of the synthetic braiding hair that they tested. The article notes that the scientists tested 2 samples each of 10 of the most popular synthetic braiding hair packs, including Sensationnel X-pression Pre-stretched and Sassy Collection 100% Kanekalon Jumbo Braid, and found that the majority of the hair contained benzene, which has been linked to Leukaemia, and/or various other harmful chemicals such as heavy metals. Some scientists had also previously discussed a potential risk of heating synthetic braiding hair, as that has been linked to the release of volatile organic compounds, which can be harmful (12,13).

However, these previous studies, as well as the experiment from Consumer Reports, have very small sample sizes, which means that the results may not be generalisable. In the case of the Consumer Reports experiment, the researchers found small amounts of heavy metals such as lead in the braiding hair. It is important to note that these levels were lower than the accepted level of lead in other, commonly used products such as lipstick. The experimenters noted that no statistical tests were done as they didn’t have enough data. So whilst the results from this research may not be as significant as they appear, they do indicate that there may be something to explore further regarding the adverse effects of Black hair care products and treatments. So far, minimal research has been done in this area, but we need  more, larger-scale research to help either confirm or debunk these findings, or we run the risk of leaving a lot of people worried, with no real answers and without the information needed to inform their life choices

What can we do to help reduce the risk of developing cancer?

Anyone can develop cancer at any age. The search for the cause of some cancers is still ongoing, which makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly what we can do as individuals to reduce our risk of developing cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, 4 in 10 cancer cases can be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise and wearing sunscreen and UV protection daily.

Image by Patrick Marah from Unsplash

As we wait for more definitive research on the presence of carcinogens in our synthetic braiding hair and how that may be affecting us, if at all, there are some things that we can do to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals. This includes reducing our use of relaxers and perms and using alternatives to hair dye, such as colour wax. If you’d like to minimise your use of synthetic braiding hair, you could try using human hair to braid your hair or synthetic braiding hair made from plants from companies such as Kynd, Rebundle and Nourie Hair. Pre-treated synthetic braiding hair produced by companies such as Slayyy Hair and Latched and Hooked can also be a good option.

Using these organic or non-toxic alternatives comes with a range of pros and cons. These alternatives are usually marketed as hypoallergenic, free from harmful chemicals and plastic, as well as being biodegradable and reusable which is good for the environment however, they are all much more expensive than an average pack of X-pression and often contain smaller amounts of hair per bundle, meaning that more packs are needed to braid a full head of hair which can make them unaffordable for many. Additionally, the range of colours and styles is much smaller compared to that offered by existing synthetic braiding hair brands. It may also be worth noting that the current fluctuations in the implementation of tariffs by the US government may mean that the cost of shipping them may be high, as many of these brands are not currently sold or developed in the UK. Shopping from UK stockists such as Ginko Store may help to minimise some of those extra costs.

Main takeaways

• Rates of bowel cancer diagnoses in young people all over the world are on the rise, and we’re not 100% sure why, but recent research suggests that a specific strain of E coli may be a big contributor

  • If you are worried about your cancer risk, speak to your GP

• There have been some carcinogenic materials found in hair products aimed towards Black people, especially in relaxers, which increases the risk of developing ovarian and uterine cancers

• Some researchers claim to have found carcinogenic materials in synthetic braiding hair. The study where this was tested had a few big flaws, so it’s important that we do some extra testing to check this finding and determine if/how much using synthetic braiding hair may be negatively affecting us 

• Reducing our use of chemical relaxers and semi-permanent hair dye can help to reduce Black women’s risk of developing ovarian and uterine cancers

By Esther Ansah, Blog Writer

References

1.    Types of Cancer in Children | Children with Cancer UK. Available from: https://www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk/childhood-cancer-info/understanding-cancer/types-of-cancer/

2.    Pilleron S, Sarfati D, Janssen-Heijnen M, Vignat J, Ferlay J, Bray F, et al. Global cancer incidence in older adults, 2012 and 2035: A population-based study. Int J Cancer. 2019 Jan 1;144(1):49–58. 

3.    Van Herck Y, Feyaerts A, Alibhai S, Papamichael D, Decoster L, Lambrechts Y, et al. Is cancer biology different in older patients? Lancet Healthy Longev. 2021 Oct 1;2(10):e663–77. 

4.    Mäklin T, Taira A, Arredondo-Alonso S, Shao Y, Stratton MR, Lawley TD, et al. Geographical variation in the incidence of colorectal cancer and urinary tract cancer is associated with population exposure to colibactin-producing Escherichia coli. Lancet Microbe. 2024 Nov 16;0(0):101015.

5.    Rutter CM, Nascimento de Lima P, Maerzluft CE, May FP, Murphy CC. Black-White disparities in colorectal cancer outcomes: a simulation study of screening benefit. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2023 Nov 1;2023(62):196–203.

6.    Delon C, Brown KF, Payne NWS, Kotrotsios Y, Vernon S, Shelton J. Differences in cancer incidence by broad ethnic group in England, 2013–2017. Br J Cancer. 2022 Jun 1;126(12):1765–73. 

7.    Arnold M, Razum O, Coebergh JW. Cancer risk diversity in non-western migrants to Europe: An overview of the literature. Eur J Cancer. 2010 Sep;46(14):2647–59. 

8.    Scott ECS, Hoskin PJ. Health inequalities in cancer care: a literature review of pathways to diagnosis in the United Kingdom. EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Oct 1;76.

9.    Chang CJ, O’Brien KM, Keil AP, Gaston SA, Jackson CL, Sandler DP, et al. Use of Straighteners and Other Hair Products and Incident Uterine Cancer. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2022 Dec 8;114(12):1636–45. 

10.  White AJ, Sandler DP, Gaston SA, Jackson CL, O’Brien KM. Use of hair products in relation to ovarian cancer risk. Carcinogenesis. 2021 Oct 5;42(9):1189–95.

11.  Helm JS, Nishioka M, Brody JG, Rudel RA, Dodson RE. Measurement of endocrine disrupting and asthma-associated chemicals in hair products used by Black women. Environ Res. 2018 Aug 1;165:448–58. 

12.  Auguste D, Miller SL. Volatile Organic Compound Emissions From Heated Synthetic Hair: A Pilot Study. Environ Health Insights. 2020;14. 

13.  Thomas CG. Carcinogenic materials in synthetic braids: an unrecognized risk of hair products for Black women. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas. 2023 Jun 1;22:100517.