Colon Cancer in Young People is on The Rise

Cancer death rates may be decreasing for many cancers, but there’s a disturbing new trend. Colon cancer in young people is on the rise. On the bright side, the overall number of colon cancer cases is declining – most likely due to colonoscopy screening; but colonoscopy screening isn’t usually recommended in people under the age of fifty years unless a person is at high risk due to family history. With regular colonoscopy screening the incidence of colon cancer can be dramatically reduced by removing pre-cancerous polyps before they can turn into a cancer. Because of this means of screening for colon cancer, colon cancer rates are steadily declining in the over fifty age group.

Unfortunately, the same decline in colon cancer cases doesn’t hold true for younger people. When researchers looked at colon cancer in young people, they found that the rate of colon cancer has been increasing by 1.6 percent per year in women between twenty and forty-nine years of age and by 1.5 percent in men in the same age group in the past ten years.  In non-Hispanic men and women the increase in colon cancer in young people increased even more – by over 2 percent per year. The largest increase in colon cancer in the young was in the twenty to twenty-nine year old age group where rates have been increasing by over five percent annually. Not good news for people who are in the prime of their life.

Why the increase in colon cancer rates in young people when colon cancer has traditionally been a disease of people who are middle-aged and older? The researchers emphasized that this study wasn’t designed to determine why the increase is occurring, but pointed out that the American diet has changed considerably over the last thirty or so years. People now eat more fast food and convenience food that’s lacking in nutrition and is more likely to include some form of red meat which has been associated with colon cancer risk in many studies. The rate of obesity has also steadily gone up – another risk factor for colon cancer. Colon cancer is a cancer where lifestyle plays an important role – particularly diet. Smoking, heavy use of alcohol, eating low fiber diet, and not getting enough exercise can all contribute to colon cancer in young people as well as raise the risk of cancer at any age.

The bottom line? Colon cancer is no longer strictly a disease of older people, It’s important to be aware of any change in bowel habits, unexplained abdominal pain, blood in the stool, weight loss, or excessive fatigue – all of which can be signs of this disease. Don’t assume that you can’t have colon it unless you’re over the age of fifty. Colon cancer in young people is on the rise and young people need to see their doctor if they experience any signs of symptoms of this common cancer.