Colorectal cancer has emerged as the primary cause of death among men under 50, according to a chilling 2024 report from the ACS.
Astonishingly, it now ranks as the second leading cause among women of the same age, with breast cancer maintaining its ominous position as the leading cause.
This alarming shift in statistics unveils a disturbing trend, considering that just two decades ago, colorectal cancer was merely the fourth leading cause of death in this demographic.
Doctors and researchers are trying to understand what’s creating this increase in diagnoses among the young.
While a reduction in smoking, better treatments, regular screening and quicker diagnoses have resulted in fewer deaths in the past 30 years, more persons are falling to the hang of their lifestyle.
This is the bad news: more young people are being diagnosed with cancer. In fact, the risk of developing certain cancers when you’re young has increased for every generation since the 1950s.
The anticipated projection by the end of the decade is equally unsettling, with a forecast that 10% of colon cancers and 22% of rectal cancers in the United States will afflict patients younger than 50.
This sharp increase is a stark contrast to the 4% and 9% recorded in 2008. The question that lingers in the medical community is: What factors contribute to this worrisome surge in diagnoses among the young?
A colorectal surgeon, Vikram Reddy says:
“If anyone has any change in their bowel habits, if they have any bleeding—even if they think it’s a hemorrhoid, and it doesn’t go away—just get a colonoscopy.”
The Deathly Paws Of Colorectal Cancer
Even though colorectal cancer is often highly treatable, the diagnosis can be a major ordeal for Generation Zers, Millennials, and Generation Xers, who range in age from their mid-20s to their late 50s. It can interrupt careers and damage personal finances. Young people diagnosed with colorectal cancer may need to make quick, critical decisions about such matters as preserving sperm or eggs in case treatment impacts their fertility.
About 15 years ago, Yale Medicine surgeon Vikram Reddy, MD, PhD, conducted one of the first studies identifying the rising incidence of colorectal cancer among young people. “We’re still seeing the trend, so it wasn’t temporary,” says Dr. Reddy.
Colorectal cancer, though often treatable, casts a dark shadow over the lives of Generation Zers, Millennials, and Generation Xers.
Dr. Vikram Reddy, a colorectal surgeon at Yale Medicine, was one of the first to highlight the rising incidence of colorectal cancer among young people approximately 15 years ago. His continued commitment to educating the public underscores the urgency of early detection, a crucial factor in enhancing treatability.
The journey for those diagnosed at a young age is fraught with challenges that extend beyond medical concerns. Interrupted careers and financial strain become unwelcome companions for these individuals, who must grapple with decisions about preserving fertility amidst critical treatment choices.
Global Perspectives and Hopeful Horizons
A comprehensive study involving scientists from China’s Zhejiang University, Harvard University in the United States, and Edinburgh University in the UK reveals a staggering 80% increase in cancer diagnoses among individuals under 50 worldwide over the past 30 years.
The data, published in BMJ Oncology, underscores the gravity of the situation, with more than a million under-50s succumbing to cancer annually.
Nobody knows for sure why colorectal cancer numbers are rising in young people. Sedentary lifestyle, overweight and obesity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, low-fiber, high-fat diets or diets high in processed meats, and other environmental factors have all been associated with the disease. Family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, and conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease are also risk factors.
When someone is diagnosed with cancer at a young age, people also suspect genetics, but experts still haven’t been able to use genetics to explain the surge.
The most common genetic condition associated with colon cancer is Lynch Syndrome, which typically involves tumors on the right side of the colon. But that’s not what’s causing these cases. Yale doctors are seeing a lot of young people whose colorectal cancer seems to be happening sporadically, as opposed to being caused by a particular genetic syndrome, Dr. Reddy says.
Lifestyle Must Change. Why?
Global cases of early onset cancer increased from under 2 million in 1990 to over 3 million in 2019, while deaths among people in their 30s and 40s from cancer grew by 27 per cent. More than a million under-50s die of cancer every year, according to the research.
Physical fitness, specifically of the cardiorespiratory system, may decrease the risk of nine different forms of cancer by up to 40%.
The affected cancers include: head and neck, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, rectum, esophagus, kidney, and lung.
Exercise and physical activity are known to help lower overall cancer risk source, however less is known about cardiorespiratory fitness and its relationship to individualized or “site specific” forms of cancer.
A new research study, published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine is now shedding more light on how having a healthy heart and lungs can protect against specific forms of cancer.
The study unambiguously concludes that higher levels of cardiovascular fitness are protective against nine different forms of cancer.
Dr. Aron Onerup, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Gothenburg, and lead author of the study, told Healthline:
“We found that higher cardiorespiratory fitness at age 18 was associated with a lower risk of being diagnosed with nine out of the 18 site-specific cancers we included in our study. The associations between fitness and cancer seemed to be most apparent in gastrointestinal cancers,”
What Could Change?
Surprisingly, researchers observed that two forms of cancer, skin cancer and prostate cancer, were actually found to have a slightly increased risk associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness.
Remarkably, higher levels of cardiovascular fitness at age 18 were associated with a lower risk of being diagnosed with nine out of 18 site-specific cancers. These findings offer a glimmer of optimism, suggesting that improving fitness may indeed be a potent weapon in reducing the risk of certain cancers.
Even with these findings, the conclusion is clear: improving your fitness will likely reduce your risk for certain cancers.
