ONE in five young people with bowel cancer took more than a year to be diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease, a major new study suggests.
It also found that a fifth of young people had to see their GP five times or more before they were eventually referred to a specialist.
Experts say the findings highlight the "shocking variations in treatment, care and support for younger people" with the illness.
More than 400 bowel cancer sufferers under 50 years-old were surveyed for the research – the largest ever poll of its kind among the age group.
According to Bowel Cancer UK, which carried out the research, it is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, behind lung cancer.
It kills around 16,000 men and women in the UK every year, according to figures compiled by the charity.
Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: "The report highlights delays in getting diagnosed and shocking variations in treatment, care and support for younger people. There is still much to do."
She added: "Our survey highlights that younger people with bowel cancer experience significant delays in diagnosis. This is in part because they do not think bowel cancer is a possibility, and in part because neither do their clinicians, but it could be."
She said 2,100 people aged under 50 are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK – a figure which has risen nearly 25 per cent in the past decade.
Early diagnosis is key to treatment and survival rates, but young people are often not aware of the symptoms while doctors overlook the possibility of bowel cancer because of the patient's age, the charity said.
The Never Too Young survey also found that only one in five younger bowel cancer patients knew they could be at risk of developing bowel cancer at their age.
More than half (57 per cent) of people surveyed were not aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer prior to being diagnosed. And even where they were aware of symptoms, more than a quarter (27 per cent) put off seeing their GP for more than three months after developing symptoms.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "We are supporting GPs to diagnose bowel cancer earlier and our Be Clear on Cancer campaigns are encouraging people with symptoms to see their GP sooner.
"Cancer survival rates are at a record high but we want the NHS to be the best in the world. We have committed to introduce a new cancer strategy, to improve survival further and faster."
