"Colon cancer is officially the deadliest cancer for people under 50 in the US - a shift that happened more rapidly than cancer researchers expected. New data shows that in 2023, colon cancer eclipsed breast cancer, which had been the leading cause of cancer death in young adults for over a decade. Before that, lung cancer was the big killer."
"But unlike those four other leading causes of cancer death, where Siegel said there's "great news" to report, the trend lines with young colon cancer are going in the wrong direction. Colon cancer death rates keep going up in people under 50, despite aggressive treatment. Something unique appears to have happened to the cohort of people born after 1950, and it's putting every subsequent generation at a greater risk of developing colon cancer early and fast."
Colon cancer now causes more deaths than any other cancer among people under 50 in the United States, overtaking breast cancer in 2023. Death rates for colon cancer in younger adults have been increasing while several other major cancers show improvements. A birth-cohort effect beginning with those born after 1950 appears to raise both risk and speed of onset. Screening guidelines were lowered from age 50 to 45 in 2021. The absolute number of deaths among people under 50 was roughly 3,750 in 2023. Diet, environmental exposures, and genetics are being investigated as contributing factors.
Read at Business Insider
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