on PinterestA new report from the ACS shows that nearly half of colorectal cancer cases are occurring in adults under 65. Image Credit: Westend61/Getty ImagesThe American Cancer Society reports that the incidence of colorectal cancer cases in U.S.
on PinterestA new report from the ACS shows that nearly half of colorectal cancer cases are occurring in adults under 65. Image Credit: Westend61/Getty Images
- The American Cancer Society reports that the incidence of colorectal cancer cases in U.S. adults ages 20 to 49 has been rising about 3% per year.
- Experts say there may be a number of factors for this increase, including unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and the impact of microplastics on the human body.
- They recommend that most adults start colorectal cancer screenings at age 45.
A new report from the American Cancer Society (ACS) highlights what’s being described as an alarming increase in colorectal cancer cases in young adults.
In their findings, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, officials at the ACS report that the overall incidence of colorectal cancer in adults in the United States decreased by nearly 1% annually between 2013 and 2022.
The decline was mostly driven by a 2.5% annual decrease in colorectal cancer cases among U.S. adults ages 65 years and older.
However, the report found that colorectal cancer cases have increased by 0.4% annually in U.S. adults ages 50 to 64.
More alarming, the authors said, was the 3% annual increase in colorectal cancer cases in U.S. adults ages 20 to 49.
They project that 45% of colorectal cancer diagnoses this year will be in individuals younger than 65, up from 27% in 1995. They predict that one-third of the expected 55,000 colorectal cancer deaths in the United States this year will be in people younger than 65.
The findings also show that rectal cancer cases now represent 32% of all colorectal cancer cases, up from 27% two decades ago.
The ACS reports on colorectal cancer occurrence every three years, using data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Nikita Wagle, PhD, a principal scientist in cancer surveillance research at the ACS and second author of the new report, said the trend is a call to action for the medical community.
“Despite decades of progress in the fight against cancer, colorectal cancer death rates are increasing among younger men and women,” Wagle told Healthline. “It is important that we intensify research to uncover the causes as well as take action to prevent these deaths.”
Why is colorectal cancer rising in young adults?
In their report, ACS officials state that colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both males and females in the United States.
They say it’s the second most common cancer-related death in the United States overall. It’s the number one cause of cancer-related death in U.S. adults under 50 years of age.
The ACS estimates there will be 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer in the United States in 2026, including 108,860 colon tumors and 49,990 rectal tumors.
In its report, the ACS states that more than one-half of colorectal cancer cases are attributable to modifiable risk factors, such as:
- smoking
- unhealthy diet
- high alcohol consumption
- physical inactivity
- excess body weight
Nilesh Vora, MD, a medical oncologist and medical director of the MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center, has witnessed an uptick
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