May 15, 2024 – Despite encouraging declines in overall colon cancer rates over the past 20 years, one group stands as an exception: Americans under age 45.
According to a latest study to be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024, a significant medical conference in Washington, DC, between 1999 and 2020, the variety of cases of colon cancer increased by a whopping 333% amongst those ages 15 to 19 and 185% amongst those ages 20 to 24.
As high as those percentages could seem, the number of individuals affected at that age stays small in comparison with Americans age 45 and older, said Dr. Loren Laine, professor of drugs (digestive diseases) at Yale School of Medicine, who co-moderated a news conference previewing the research findings.
“The trends are alarming [but] “The actual number of colon cancer cases in children and adolescents is not high enough to recommend widespread screening,” agreed lead researcher Dr. Islam Mohamed, a resident in internal medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
For example, in 1999, one in 333,000 15- to 19-year-olds developed colon cancer. In 2020, the incidence of colon cancer increased; at that time, one in 77,000 teenagers developed the disease.
At the same time, the number of cases among young adults aged 20 to 24 increased from less than 1 to 2 per 100,000 in 2020.
Even though the risk is relatively low in absolute terms, experts are observing why the rates are rising. It is also about raising awareness. If someone under 45 Symptoms of colon cancer If you experience symptoms such as blood in your stool, stomach pain, changes in bowel habits or other symptoms, you should see a doctor, says Laine.
“If you have symptoms like rectal bleeding, you shouldn't take it lightly. It's still pretty unlikely that you have colon cancer… but of course you still shouldn't dismiss it completely,” Laine said.
“Colorectal cancer is no longer seen as a disease of the elderly,” Mohamed said during the briefing. “It is important that the public is aware of the signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer.”
Mohamed and colleagues examined cases of colon cancer using figures from the CDC Wonder Databasea central database of public health information. They calculated the increases by comparing rates from 1999 to 2020.
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Third place Data from the American Cancer Society show that when certain types of skin cancer are excluded, the number of new cases and cancer-related deaths increases.
Some risk factors can be changed
Colon cancer rates in younger people “continue to rise. This could be related to environmental factors, lifestyle factors and also genetic factors,” Mohamed said. “It could also mean that we are improving. Maybe we are doing more screenings and maybe we are doing a better job of selecting patients who are at high risk for colon cancer in the younger population.”
There are ways to reduce your risk of colon cancer, including losing weight.
“I think that switching to a healthy lifestyle would be a good approach to curb the increasing number of colon cancers, as we have seen Metabolic syndrome is a big [factor]“Make sure you eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and perhaps limit your alcohol consumption,” said Mohamed.
“There is also a debate about the use of antibiotics and food additives, which may, but not certainly, contribute to the risk of colon cancer,” he said.
On the opposite hand, as much as a 3rd of cases of early-onset colon cancer are as a consequence of aspects that can't be modified. Examples include a family history of colon cancer, the presence of inflammatory bowel disease and certain cancers linked to genetic mutations. “When you think about it, most of these young people [with colorectal cancer] probably have genetic syndromes,” Laine said. “The big problem, frankly, is finding better ways to identify families with genetic syndromes. That's probably the most important message.”
The risk varies depending on age
In addition to the increases within the 15- to 19-year-old and 20- to 24-year-old groups, the rates in 2020 in comparison with 1999 showed:
- 68% increase for the 25- to 29-year-old age group
- 71% increase amongst 30- to 34-year-olds
- 58% increase for the 35- to 39-year-old age group
- 45% more for the 40- to 44-year-old age group
“All of these findings underscore the urgent need for public awareness and personalized screening approaches,” said Mohamed, “especially among younger populations where we have seen the largest increase in colorectal cancer cases.”
The US Preventive Services Task Force lowered the really useful age for colon cancer screening from 50 to 45 in 2021. Mohammed suggested more targeted screening for people under 45 who're at higher risk.
“I think it will also be really helpful to stay up to date on the increasing incidence and the latest research and recommendations on the prevention and early detection of colon cancer.”