A recent study revealed that colon cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Americans under 50, reaching that position seven years earlier than scientists had projected.
As per the research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, mortality rates due to colon cancer in this age group have risen by nearly 1% annually since 2005.
This trend stands out as overall cancer deaths among people under 50 have dropped significantly. Since 1990, cancer mortality in this age group has fallen by 44%, with colon cancer being the only one among the five most common cancers to show rising death rates.
For the study, researchers assessed national data from around 1.3 million cancer deaths among individuals under the age of 50.
In 1990, colon cancer ranked fifth as a cause of cancer death in this group; by 2023, it ranked first. Meanwhile, deaths from lung cancer saw a sharp decline, leukemia deaths dropped by nearly 2.5% per year, and breast cancer deaths declined by 1.4% annually.
Cancer epidemiologist and co-director of the Northwell Health Early-Onset Cancer Program in Westchester County, New York, Christine Molmenti, told HealthDay, "It's interesting, because colorectal cancer is almost immune to some of these factors that have potentially decreased mortality in other cancers under 50."
"The rise in colorectal cancer is real. It's not just due to what's called diagnostic scrutiny, which means you are diagnosing people more often because you are looking for those patients," she continued. "And colorectal cancer really does stand out in that regard, that these really are true numbers, that the cases are truly increasing, and that mortality is also increasing," Christine added.
As per the experts, a major surge in colon cancer deaths is real and not simply due to increased detection. While progression in treatment has reduced deaths from other cancers, similar progress has not offset rising colon cancer mortality.
The main cause of colon cancer remains unknown, though some contributing factors include obesity, low physical activity, changes in gut bacteria, and diets full of ultra-processed foods.
