Colorectal Cancer Is On The Rise in Young Adults — Here’s What We Know

The fact that the rate of colorectal cancer has been on the rise in both Europe and the U.S., as well as several other parts of the world, has been well studied. However, the why behind this spike is still being debated by experts in the field. The rate of colon cancer has actually been decreasing in every other age group in the U.S. thanks to better screening methods.

Back in the U.S., the increased rate among younger adults has actually prompted the American Cancer Society to lower the recommended age to start screening for colon cancer to 45. When you should begin screening is a decision you’ll have to make with your doctor. We can say for sure that some people do have a higher risk for developing colon cancer due to genetics. A small percentage of people carry genetic predispositions for colon cancer, like Lynch Syndrome or FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis). About 5 to 10 percent of colon cancers are caused by inherited genetic mutations. So, if cancer is common in your family, or a first degree relative developed colon cancer at a young age, you may want to discuss genetic testing with your doctor.

Experts who treat colorectal cancer in the U.S. are trying to come up with reasons behind the spike, but studies have been inconclusive thus far. Colorectal surgeon Dr. Heather Yeo, when discussing the colon cancer rates in general, told SurvivorNet that more research is still needed.

“We don’t know exactly why [the rates are] increasing,” Dr. Yeo said. “It’s a different type of cancer … We don’t really know, it may be something environmental … We looked at maps of the United States, we looked at smoking rates and we looked at obesity. And if you compare that to colon cancer, you’ll see where there is obesity in the United States, there’s higher colon cancer. However, it didn’t quite match with the younger age group. So there are some different risk factors with this younger age group. I think it’s really important for patients to think about their risk factors and not to ignore symptoms.”

Until researchers know more about what is causing this increase of colon cancer in young adults, in both the U.S. and Europe, paying careful attention to your body and being candid about symptoms is the best way to monitor for the disease. Symptoms for colon cancer include changes in bowel habits (which can include constipation, diarrhea, or changes to the size and shape of bowel movements), black and/or tarry stools, abdominal pain, or unexpected weight loss. These symptoms, however, can also be attributed to a number of other issues, so it’s important to have a conversation with your doctor if you’re worried about colon cancer.

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