Colorectal cancer: 5 things you need to know about this disease
According to the National Cancer Institute, nearly 1 in 10 new cancer cases and cancer deaths in the United States are related to colorectal cancer.
Staff video, USA TODAY
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in people under age 50 in the United States, according to new evidence from the American Cancer Society.
Evidence published Thursday, Jan. 22, in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that colorectal cancer has jumped from the No. 5 leading cause of cancer death in the early 1990s to the No. 1 leading cause of cancer death.
“We did not expect colorectal cancer to increase so quickly to this level, but it is now clear that this is no longer a disease of the elderly,” Dr. Ahmedin Jemal, the study’s senior author and senior vice president for surveillance, prevention, and health services research at the American Cancer Society, said in a news release.
According to the report, lung cancer has dropped from first to fourth place, and leukemia has dropped from third to fifth place. And breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death overall, and the leading cause of death among women.
The report analyzed more than 1 million people in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia from 1990 to 2023 using data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
“Today’s news confirms what experts have predicted for years, seeing the incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer rapidly rising and claiming far too many lives,” Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, said in a news release.
Dr. Timothy Cannon, director of the Inova Schar Cancer Molecular Tumor Board and associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said the increase in deaths from early-onset colorectal cancer is “alarming and deeply concerning.”
“For the past five years, experts have been predicting a future in which colorectal cancer becomes the most common cause of cancer death in the U.S. population under age 50, with date projections typically falling within the 2040 to 2050 range. It turns out that this future is already here,” Cannon, who was not involved in the study, told USA TODAY.
The report authors noted that these findings highlight the need for further research to determine the causes of the increase in early-onset colorectal cancer.
“For colorectal cancer, we don’t know what factors are driving the increase in incidence, or even if there are primary factors,” Cannon said. “This leaves us as a community feeling frustrated and a bit aimless, often shifting the focus to testing rather than lifestyle changes.”
According to the ACS Cancer Facts & Figures 2024 report, approximately 55% of colorectal cancers can be attributed to several underlying risk factors, including lack of physical activity, excessive smoking and alcohol intake, excess body weight, high intake of red and processed meat, and insufficient intake of calcium, whole grains, and fiber.
The authors also urge clinicians and the public to educate themselves about the symptoms to help with earlier diagnosis and more timely treatment.
“While we are still waiting for answers as to why colorectal cancer rates are rising, with three out of four people under age 50 diagnosed with advanced disease, we can save lives now by recognizing symptoms, reducing stigma, and increasing screening uptake,” the report’s lead author Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, said in a release.
The report contained some good news. In addition to colorectal cancer, mortality rates for each major cancer-related death among people under age 50 have decreased, even though the incidence is increasing, including breast cancer and leukemia.
Last week, the American Cancer Society’s annual report also showed that cancer survival rates in the United States are improving.
Seven out of 10 people now survive five years or more after diagnosis, the report found. This 70% figure is based on diagnoses from 2015 to 2021, up from just half in the mid-1970s. A 5-year measurement is a common time period used to measure survival.
