Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among adults under 50 in the United States, a new analysis reveals.
The disease, which ranked fifth in the early 1990s, now surpasses all other malignancies in this age group, reaching this grim milestone decades ahead of the American Cancer Society’s original projection for 2040.
Overall, nearly 1.3 million people in the US died of cancer before age 50 between 1990 and 2023, the latest year for which data is available, according to the JAMA analysis.
During this period, the age-adjusted cancer death rate decreased by 44 per cent, falling from 25.5 to 14.2 per 100,000 adults.
On average, death rates from 2014 through 2023 declined by 0.3 per cent for brain cancer, 1.4 per cent for breast, 2.3 per cent for leukaemia, and 5.7 per cent for lung cancer.
Bucking the trend, colorectal cancer mortality rose by 1.1 per cent annually from 2005 through 2023.
“These findings are consistent with reports of increased colorectal mortality among adults younger than 50 years overall and in most racial and ethnic groups,” researchers said.
Given that most colorectal cancer patients diagnosed before age 50 already have advanced disease, researchers advised education about unique red-flag symptoms, including bright red blood in stool and abdominal pain.
They also called for screening beginning at age 45.
Colon cancer is a growth of cells that begins in a part of the large intestine called the colon. The colon is the first and longest part of the large intestine.
The large intestine is the last part of the digestive system. The digestive system breaks down food for the body to use.
Early detection is vital as most individuals only experience symptoms once the cancer has spread, making it crucial to recognize the warning signs.
Key symptoms oncologists advise people to look out for include blood in the stool, persistent abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss.
Other important indicators are chronic fatigue, changes in stool shape or bowel habits (such as diarrhoea or constipation), anaemia, and a persistent feeling of fullness or difficulty passing gas.
