Colorectal Cancer Rising in Young People: 6 Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore – Healthline
2025-04-22T18:15:24Z
Real stories of young adults diagnosed with colorectal cancer highlight ongoing concern over increasing cases in adults under 50. Experts urge younger adults to get screened for this type of cancer, especially if they have symptoms or a family history of the …
The evidence of the rise in colorectal cancer cases isn’t just in statistics. There are also the recent stories from younger adults who have received unexpected colorectal cancer diagnoses.
Experts aren’t certain what is driving these increases, but they say diet , particularly red and processed meat , and other lifestyle habits may be factors.
The organization adds that the death rate for colorectal cancer has been increasing in younger adults by about 1% per year for the past two decades despite an overall decrease in the disease’s death rate.
However, the ACS reports that the rate of colorectal cancer in people under 50 in the United States rose more than 2% per year from 2012 to 2021.
The ACS notes that the overall rate of colorectal cancer diagnoses in the United States has declined by about 1% every year between 2012 and 2021. They credit an increase in screenings and changes in lifestyle-related risk factors .
The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports there will be about 107,000 new cases of colon cancer in the United States in 2025. About 47,000 new cases of rectal cancer are also predicted to be diagnosed in 2025. The incidences are slightly higher for males than they are for females.
The warnings come as the incidences of colon cancer and rectal cancer in younger adults have been increasing for more than a decade.
Experts continue to emphasize the importance of younger adults getting screened for colorectal cancer.
A colonoscopy, however, revealed he had stage 4 colon cancer. After several surgeries and chemotherapy treatments, Lindley is now moving on with his life. He urges younger adults not to downplay gastrointestinal symptoms.
Last month, William Lindley told Healthline he thought he had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) due to persistent stomach problems when he was 38.
McFall was treated for the disease and is now cancer-free. She is spreading the word about younger adults getting screened.
In 2022, a Nebraska woman was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at 48 after her first colonoscopy. Angelica McFall shared that she had no symptoms and no family history of colorectal cancer.
A colonoscopy was ordered, and it revealed Stoner, who was 27 at the time, had stage 4 colon cancer. Stoner’s cancer is now “stable” after four years of treatment.
Sydney Stoner said her doctors dismissed her severe abdominal pain in 2019, so she fabricated a story that she had discovered blood in her stools.
An Arkansas woman reportedly lied to her doctors about her gastrointestinal symptoms to get a colonoscopy .
Experts note that colorectal cancer can be successfully treated if caught in its early stages.
However, it can be difficult to treat if it isn’t detected until its later stages.
They also note that many times colorectal cancer does not produce any symptoms until those later stages.
Hence, they say, the importance of regular screenings, even at a younger age.
The current recommendations call for men and women to start being tested for colorectal cancer at age 45. In addition, screenings may be required before 45 if a person has a family history of colorectal cancer or has certain medical conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
It’s recommended that colonoscopy screenings be done every 10 years for people with no family history of the disease and no polyps discovered during the exam. The time between tests can be shorter for other patients.
“Getting regular screenings for colorectal cancer are extremely important to prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer,” Cindy Kin, MD, an associate professor of surgery at Stanford Health Care in California, told Healthline. “Most polyps and cancers are not symptomatic, so don’t wait for symptoms before getting checked out.”
Katherine Van Loon, MD, a gastrointestinal oncologist at the University of California San Francisco, said it’s “important to raise awareness” among younger adults about colorectal cancer screenings.
“This is a cancer that is entirely curable it we catch it early,” she told Healthline.
Van Loon urges younger adults to not assume they won’t develop the disease because they are under the age of 50.
“It’s important to pay attention to your body and be prepared to self-advocate,” she said.
Van Loon adds that medical professionals also need to be aware of the rising incidence of colorectal cancer in younger people.
“We have to be attentive to what our patients are telling us,” she said.
Babak Firoozi, MD, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in California, agrees.
“Any concerning symptoms should be addressed, regardless of age. Colon cancer is rising in younger people for unknown reasons,” he told Healthline. “Any changes in bowel habits, unexplained abdominal pain, weight loss, or blood in the stool should be evaluated regardless of age.”
Anton Bilchik, MD, a surgical oncologist as well as chief of medicine and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in California, also urges medical professionals to be thorough with younger patients.
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