March 2, 2023 – New data shows that colon cancer is increasing amongst younger people and that the disease is more often discovered in late stages when it’s tougher to treat.
At the identical time, cases in people aged 65 and over proceed to say no – a progress that could be attributed to increased colonoscopies. Between 1995 and 2019, the proportion of recent colon cancer diagnoses in people under 55 increased from 1 in 10 cases to 1 in 5 cases.
Despite the decline within the older population, colon cancer stays the third commonest cancer and the third leading reason behind cancer-related deaths within the United States as a consequence of a rise in cases amongst younger people.
“We know that rates are increasing among young people, but it is alarming to see how quickly the overall patient population is getting younger, even though the number of patients overall is declining,” says Rebecca Siegel, MPH, creator of the report and chief scientific director of the American Cancer Society, in a opinion“The trend towards more advanced disease in people of all age groups is also surprising and should motivate everyone over 45 to get themselves examined.”
New forecasts predict that 153,020 people will contract the disease this yr and 52,550 will die from it. Results were published this week within the magazine CA: A cancer journal for clinicians.
The researchers also found that Native Americans under the age of 65 have an increased risk of developing colon cancer. The rate of colon cancer amongst Alaska Natives and American Indians is twice that of whites, and the death rate amongst Native Americans is almost 4 times that of whites.
Men were 33% more more likely to develop colon cancer than women. The researchers said the upper rate was likely as a consequence of aspects similar to “being overweight, eating processed meat and a history of smoking.”
Overall, the variety of cases of colon cancer has stabilized amongst people aged 50 to 64, while the incidence rate amongst people under 54 is increasing by 2% per yr. The death rate is steadily increasing by 1% per yr amongst people under 50 and by 0.6% amongst people aged 50 to 54.
“We need to address why rates continue to trend in the wrong direction among young adults,” says researcher Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, PhD, senior vice chairman of surveillance and health equity science on the American Cancer Society. “We need to invest more in research to uncover the causes of the rising trends and find new treatments for advanced disease to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease in this young population who are raising families and supporting other family members.”