Colon and rectal cancers are the leading causes of cancer death among young people – Telemundo New York (47)

Colorectal cancer is the deadliest cancer for men under 50 and the second deadliest cancer for women in the same age group, after breast cancer.

The incidence of colon cancer has increased since at least the last two decades, when it was the fourth leading cause of cancer death among both men and women under 50 years of age.

Among men and women of all ages, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death. Prostate cancer ranks second among men and breast cancer among women. Colorectal cancer ranks third among both sexes.

While overall cancer deaths continue to decline in the United States, the American Cancer Society reports for the first time that colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer deaths among young adults. The study was published Wednesday in CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Cancer has traditionally been a disease of older people, although the percentage of new cases in people aged 65 and older has fallen from 61% in 1995 to 58%. The decline, driven primarily by declines in prostate cancer and smoking-related cancers, occurred even as the proportion of people in this age group increased from 13% to 17% of the total population.

In contrast, the rate of new diagnoses among adults aged 50 to 64 has increased since 1995, from 25% to 30%.

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The incidence of breast and endometrial cancer, as well as diseases of the mouth and throat, is increasing.

The report did not break down these diagnoses by age.

The results reflect what oncologists have observed for years. “We’ve been noticing for a couple of decades now that the patients coming to our clinic are getting younger and younger,” said Dr. Kimmy Ng, director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. .

“This report now confirms to us that these trends are real.”

Ng was not involved in the new report. Dr. William Douth, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, said younger people tend to be diagnosed at later stages, when the cancer is more aggressive.

“So it’s not just colorectal cancer, colorectal cancer is harder to treat, which is why we see these changes in mortality,” Douth said.

The diagnosis of late-stage colorectal cancer came as a shock to Sierra Fuller, 33, of Acton, Massachusetts, near Boston. Around Christmas 2021, Fuller noticed blood in her stool when she went to the bathroom.

With no family history of colon cancer, he thought the problem was likely pesky hemorrhoids. After a few weeks, the blood deposits got worse and he started having abdominal pain.

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“It took a month from when I started having symptoms to when I sought help and I realized I was struggling,” she said. Tests showed that he has stage 3b colorectal cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, this usually means the cancer has started to spread through the colon and possibly to nearby lymph nodes, but not further.

It was a blow to Fuller and her husband, who had just started talking about trying to have a baby. They decided to freeze the embryos ahead of Fuller’s treatment protocol, which will include radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.

This is an example of how cancer only affects young patients.

“People under age 65 are less likely to have health insurance and more likely to balance family and career,” Dahut said in a press release announcing the new report. “In addition, men and women diagnosed at younger ages have longer life expectancies and suffer treatment-related side effects such as cancer recurrence.”

Just over a year later, Fuller is cancer-free but must have regular scans and blood tests. He said he felt fine but would “always worry” that the cancer would return.

“If I have to go through this again, whatever it is, I will cross that bridge if it comes,” Fuller said.

Why is cancer rising among the youngest?

Doctors don’t know why cancer, especially colorectal cancer, is becoming more common among young people. Some suggest rising rates of obesity, sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets may play a role.

“But frankly, the patients we see in the clinic often don’t fit that profile,” said Dr. Kimmy Ng, director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. “Many of them are triathletes and marathon runners. I mean super healthy people.”

Ng suspects there may be something in the environment behind the increase.

“We suspect that whatever combination of environmental factors is responsible, it likely changes our microbiomes or our immune system, causing us to become more susceptible to these cancers at a younger age,” said He.

How to protect yourself from colorectal cancer

Colonoscopic screening is usually recommended to begin at age 45. People with a family history of the disease may need to start screening earlier.

For example, a person whose parents were diagnosed with colon cancer at age 50 would need to start screening at age 40, Dahout said.

However, only about a third of people diagnosed with colon cancer have any family history or predisposition to cancer.

Maintaining a healthy body weight and minimizing red meat in the diet can help reduce the risk, Ng says.

Signs that may indicate a problem include blood in the stool, abdominal pain, unintentional weight loss and changes in bowel habits, Ng says.

“If it gets worse, if it doesn’t go away, then somebody really needs to start paying attention and talk to their healthcare provider about what’s going on,” he said.