Colorectal cancer rates are rising sharply in people under 40, and doctors are baffled and worried
The rates of colorectal cancer have been steadily dropping for people born before 1950, but a sharp rise in colon and especially rectal cancer in people in their 20s and 30s has doctors worried and flummoxed. On Tuesday, researchers with the American Cancer Society published a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute estimating that Americans under 50 will be hit with 13,500 new cases of colon and rectal cancers this year, a growing percentage of the some 95,000 colon cancer and 40,000 rectal cancer diagnoses among all ages.
"People born in 1990, like my son, have double the risk of colon cancer and quadruple the risk of rectal cancer" as someone born in 1950 at the same age, epidemiologist Rebecca Siegel, the lead author of the study, tells The New York Times. Worse, "they carry the risk forward with them as they age." The analysis is the largest and most detailed to date of colorectal cancer incidence, and it found a 1-2.4 percent increase in colon cancer rates among people 20 to 39 every year since the mid-1980s, versus a 0.5-1.3 percent annual increase in adults 40 to 54 and a decline among people 55 and older. The rates for rectal cancer are worse, rising by 3.2 percent a year for Americans in their 20s from 1974 to 2013.
Colorectal cancer is hard to diagnose from external factors — the symptoms, when they are present, include things like prolonged diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain, bloody stools, or other digestive ailments. Colonoscopies aren't encouraged (or generally covered by health insurance) until age 50, and less invasive or cheaper tests are still not on par. Doctors have some theories about why colorectal cancer cases are rising sharply in younger people — risk factors including obesity, sedentary lifestyle, heavy alcohol use, and certain chronic illnesses that are on the rise — but "the honest truth is nobody knows 100 percent why there is an increase," said Dr. Mohamed E. Salem at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, who says 60 percent of his patients are younger than him, and he's 42. You can read more about the worrisome mystery at The New York Times, or learn more in the CBS News report below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
7 recipes for every kind of fall cooking occasion
The Week Recommends Marinated feta; go-to chocolate cake; a fresh way with Brussels: Autumn is not going to know what hit it
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Why is a government shutdown possible before the election?
Today's Big Question A fight over immigration, spending and the future of House Speaker Mike Johnson
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ charges 2 in white nationalist 'Terrorgram' plot
Feds say Dallas Humber and Matthew Allison were plotting assassinations through a terrorist network on Telegram
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published