Young adults at highest risk of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer
Studies have shown there are rising rates colon and rectal cancer among younger patients who are less than 55 years old. There’s also been more and more people in this age group who are dying from colorectal cancer.
At the same time, colorectal cancer rates and deaths are actually going down overall.
According to the American Cancer Society, overall rates of colon and rectal cancers have dropped since about the mid 1980s, and the overall mortality rates have also dropped.
“Fewer Americans as a whole are being diagnosed with and dying from this cancer and that’s good news. The same is true in Ohio,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health. “The rates and deaths among younger people are what’s drawing our attention.”
The National Cancer Institute found colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in America behind lung and bronchus cancer.
Health experts want to know why a millennial might be at a higher risk of these cancers and what can be done to prevent it.
Statistics about colon, rectal cancer in 2024
Among those under the age of 55, colorectal cancer’s been increasing steadily each year by 2% since the mid 1990s, according to the American Cancer Society.
Colorectal cancer deaths have driven risen about 1% per year since the mid 2000s for this age group.
A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that millennials born around 1990 now have twice the risk of colon cancer compared with people born around the 1950s.
The study also found that millennials have four times the risk for rectal cancer than people born around the 1950s.
“Similarly, in Ohio, the first two decades of the 2000s saw colorectal cancer rates and mortality significantly increase in those less than 50 in both males and females,” said Dr. Vanderhoff.
Why is colorectal cancer rising among young adults?
Dr. Vanderhoff said there are two main factors have led to the increased colon and rectal cancer risks for millenials.
“Diet and lifestyle,” he said. “Recent generations eat more meat and processed food and consume more sugary drinks than earlier generations, while physical activity in this group has declined over decades. These are both factors known for increasing cancer risks of a new style.”
Making life changes to reduce risk
Dr. Vanderhoff said there are several steps someone can take to reduce the risks.
“It’s vitally important that we get screened at an appropriate age,” he said.
The American Cancer Society recommends that anyone with an average risk for colorectal cancer should start getting screened at age 45.
“To lower our cancer risk overall, we can take steps that will improve our diet and our physical activity. We can start small because we know that even small changes can lead to important health improvements,” said Dr. Vanderhoff.
Dr. Rekha Chaudhary is an oncologist and an adjunct professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine.
She talked about integrating healthy lifestyle choices for better prevention of cancer, as well as staying on track of screenings like colonoscopies.
“Now, cardiologists have done a great job, right? I think every single person knows if I eat too much red meat, if I don’t exercise, if I don’t manage my stress, I’m at higher risk of having a heart attack,” she said. “That makes intuitive sense; you can understand that I’m eating this fatty food, it’s gonna clog up my arteries. Everybody knows that if they eat less sugar and they exercise, their diabetes will be better controlled. In oncology, we haven’t done as great a job, even though the data is there. It’s also not as intuitive to, not just patients, but to other physicians as well. It’s not intuitive that if I eat this high fiber diet my cancer is going to be affected.”
Dr. Chaudhary said there are four pillars to prevent and reduce the risk of developing harmful cancer cells linked to colon and rectal cancer:
- stress management
- diet and lifestyle
- exercise
- sleep
She said there are several ways to improve gut health and your microbiome.
“The microbiome is all the bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in our body,” said Dr. Chaudhary. “We have about 40 trillion cells in our body, and about 100 trillion microorganisms in our microbiome. The microbiome are the quarterback of our immune system. A lot of people don’t know that, right? What determines how our immune system reacts has a lot to do with the microbiome.”
Having a diverse microbiome is key, according to Dr. Chaudhary.
“How do you get a diverse microbiome? Eating a high fiber, which the World Health Organization recommends 20 to 25 grams of fiber a day, the average American gets 15 grams of fiber a day. And if you’ve ever tried that, but it is very difficult. 25 grams is a lot of fiber. It’s a lot of fiber. But that is so important for the food for our bacteria, the good bacteria to decrease the colorectal cancer risks. To degrees, almost all cancer risks are associated with microbiome.”
Getting better sleep, exercising, diversifying your microbiome and getting regular screenings can help reduce the risks of colorectal cancer.
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