"Digital tools that offer in-app education, short risk assessments, and nurse-led follow-ups are critical. People don’t just need a test. They need clarity, context, and care."
Too often, the early signs of cancer are missed, dismissed, or misinterpreted, particularly amongst those under the age of 50.
When cancer is detected late in this demographic, the outcome can be devastating. This makes awareness, education, and access to screening not only a medical priority, but a moral and economic imperative – especially for insurers and employers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that cancer incidence will increase by over 60% in the next two decades, with lifestyle, environmental, and hereditary factors significantly contributing to this rise.
“Younger adults are less likely to consider themselves at risk, more likely to delay seeking help for symptoms, and often unable to access screening or diagnostic tests at first presentation.”
Real-life case studies show the consequences of these trends. Emma, 40, ignored ongoing breast changes after breastfeeding until a workplace seminar prompted her to seek help. She was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) – a very early form of breast cancer. With prompt surgery, she avoided a much more serious diagnosis.
Anna, 29, was unaware of how to act on her strong family history of breast cancer. A personalised risk assessment flagged her for NHS genetic testing, which revealed a rare mutation.
“Both women accessed support via employer-sponsored programmes that educated and empowered them to act early.”
The rationale behind symptom dismissal amongst younger adults is multifaceted. From a healthcare perspective, clinicians often consider cancer a low-likelihood diagnosis.
Meanwhile, individuals may dismiss persistent fatigue, bleeding, lumps, or digestive changes as stress, hormonal, or lifestyle-related. Workplace pressures and a lack of awareness compound the delay in seeking support.
Women, people from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those from lower-income groups face even steeper barriers, ranging from cultural perceptions of illness to difficulties accessing timely care.
“Early detection dramatically improves cancer survival rates.”
According to Cancer Research UK, over 90% of people diagnosed with bowel cancer at stage 1 survive five years or more. This drops to 10% at stage 4. And yet, uptake of NHS screening programmes remains suboptimal. Many don’t engage due to a lack of knowledge, fear, time constraints, or belief they’re ‘too young’.
Employers that embed screening and risk-reduction services into their offerings limit long-term costs and improve employee satisfaction. For insurers, integrated digital pathways offer a powerful lever to improve customer experience, differentiate products, and support earlier, more cost-effective claims management.
“Added-value services such as screening, education, and clinical support as part of employee benefits or protection policies are no longer a ‘nice to have’; it’s a strategic health investment.”
Some employers offer access to private screening options. Whilst this is an important step in accessibility, it’s only one part of the solution. To drive real change, we must also tackle the awareness gap, build trust, and provide personalised pathways.
That means helping people understand why a test matters to them, how their family history or lifestyle impacts their risk, and where to go if something doesn’t feel right. Cancer risk education shouldn’t be age-gated.
By investing in education, awareness campaigns, and personalised screening pathways, we can transform early detection rates, avoid unnecessary suffering, and unlock significant health and economic value.
The stakes are high, but so is the potential for impact.
