A new report from the American Cancer Society points to an alarming increase in colon cancers among younger people.
Unraveling the cause will take years of research. In the meantime, more needs to be done to prevent some of these advanced cancers — and to better address the needs of younger patients.
The report highlighted several worrisome trends for the second-leading cause of cancer deaths. People younger than 55 accounted for 20% of colon cancers in 2019, up from just 11% in 1995. Oncologists have been keeping an eye on the steady increase in younger patients, but the report shows the age of onset continues to skew younger.
