Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for people under age 50 in the United States. Colorectal cancer jumped from the 5th leading cause of death to No. 1 since the 1990s.
Doctors don’t know why colorectal cancer rates have surged among younger people in recent years.
Risk factors include lifestyle changes, diet, drugs, and the environment.
The evidence was published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“We weren’t expecting colorectal cancer to rise to this level so quickly, but now it is clear that this can no longer be called an old person’s disease,” Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, senior author of the study and senior vice president of surveillance said in a news release.
Studies show lung cancer dropped from 1st to 4th and leukemia dropped from third to fifth, according to the report. Breast cancer remained the first leading cause of cancer death among women and the second-leading cancer death overall.
“Today’s news confirms what experts have been predicting for years, as we witnessed young-onset colorectal cancer rates rising quickly and claiming too many lives,” Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, said in a news release.
Colorectal cancer screening is recommended to begin by age 45 for average-risk adults.
Signs & Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer
Blood in the stool is the No. 1 sign of rectal cancer. Also black, tarry stool are signs of old blood from higher up in the intestines.
Always consult your doctor if you see blood in the toilet bowl or black stool after a bowel movement.
Other signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer include:
These signs and symptoms can also be signs of chronic diseases like Chron’s disease, Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and hemorrhoids.
“Things like diarrhea and constipation are so general that they could be due to many possible causes,” said gastroenterologist David Richards, M.D. “None of them necessarily means that you have colorectal cancer.”
“Any time symptoms persist for longer than two weeks, they are cause for concern,” he added. “That’s particularly true if they’re accompanied by abdominal pain, bloody stools or unintentional weight loss.”
“Some symptoms, such as rectal bleeding, black stools, and anemia (pale skin, feeling tired all the time), should prompt a visit to your doctor, if they haven’t already been evaluated.”
