Investigating the rise of early-onset cancer | Four Corners Documentary
Australians in their 30s and 40s are facing an alarming surge in cancer diagnoses and researchers are scrambling to understand why.
From bowel and breast to liver and kidney, aggressive cancers are hitting younger people; they’re often detected late, with devastating outcomes.
Dr Norman Swan investigates what’s behind the change.
Could it be ultra-processed foods, stress, or exposures dating back to childhood, even pregnancy?
He meets those grappling with a diagnosis and searching for answers.
Generation Cancer asks what can be done to curb the rise, and are we ready?
It's a wake-up call for a generation — and health services — blindsided by this increase.
This story was originally broadcast as Generation Cancer on 7 July 2025.
CHAPTERS
00:00 – What is causing cancer?
02:20 – Generation cancer
04:20 – A shock diagnosis
06:17 – Bowel cancer
06:46 – Why are young people getting cancer?
08:15 – The ten cancers
10:33 – Liver cancer
15:19 – Breast cancer
22:22 – Chemical exposures
25:00 – Forever chemicals
26:45 – Understanding why cancer is increasing in young people
29:10 – The generational shift
31:05 – Challenges for younger people with cancer
33:30 – The financial pressures of illness
37:30 – Screening
42:10 – What can be done?
#ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia