A new study found that the colorectal cancer rate among young adults aged 55 and below is rising, bringing a wave of concern to the scientific community.
The report from the American Cancer Society highlighted that more and more patients are being diagnosed with later-stage diseases. The study showed that one in five new cases of colon cancer in the United States was in people aged 55 or younger, which is about twice the number observed in 1995, when only 11% of cases were found among this age group.
Rise in Colorectal Cancer Among Younger Adults
Another concerning data that the study found was that 60% of patients were diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease, an increase from the 52% monitored in the mid-2000s.
The researchers noted that the reasons behind the sudden rise are not yet fully understood but argued that the results suggest the loss of momentum of steady progress aimed at reducing the incidence of colon cancer through screening, which has been going on for the past few decades, as per the Washington Post.
In a statement, a medical oncologist at the New York University Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center, Paul Oberstein, said there is a "worrisome trend." Oberstein, who was not involved in the study, added that there was a difference between the young, under-50 population based on the study results.
Despite the rise of colorectal cancer rates among younger adults, the overall number of cases has decreased, primarily due to more people older than 50 being screened by colonoscopy. This process is capable of preventing cancer by detecting and removing premalignant polyps. Furthermore, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that the age for colorectal cancer screening be brought down to 45.
The study's authors wrote that the results anticipate less favorable trends in the years ahead. This is partly due to more patients being diagnosed as younger and having more advanced diseases.
An Aggressive Shift
The chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, Dr. William Dahut, said that it was no longer rare to hear about a young person being diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. According to CNN, he added that it was difficult to accurately pinpoint the root cause of the rise in the number of cases among younger adults.
However, Dahut noted that some factors could be related to changes in the environment or a change in people's diets. He said that they were not blaming anybody for their cancer diagnosis, only stating that it is a possible cause that people do not even realize is becoming bad for their health.
Colorectal cancer is known to be the third deadliest in the United States, where the American Cancer Society estimates 153,020 cases this year, as well as 52,550 deaths. The organization's CEO, Dr. Karen Knudsen, said that this is an aggressive shift blocking health officials' attempts to save lives. CBS News said that she urged people not to ignore symptoms and take every possible action to better their health.
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