Colon cancer among people under 50 is on the rise, and tumors are often diagnosed at an advanced stage, according to research presented on Tuesday. The findings were based on a US study of more than a million people over the course of 10 years. They were presented during Digestive Disease Week, a medical conference in San Diego, California.
"While the healthcare system has done a great deal to address colorectal cancer in people over 50 - heightening patient awareness and increasing screenings - our findings show that much more needs to be done to fight this cancer in people under 50, a group not normally considered at risk," said lead author Elie Sutton, a research fellow at Mt. Sinai West Hospital in New York. "Not only did we find that the rate of colorectal cancer in this group is rising, we also saw that within the group that was diagnosed at a younger age, a higher percentage were diagnosed at later stages of cancer (stage three or four), which is very concerning," she added.
Over the decade of research, the number of colon cancer cases in under-50s rose by 11.4 percent, about 136 new cases every year.
The study found colon cancer rates in those older than 50 fell by 2.5 percent in the same time period. Despite the rise among the young, doctors pointed out that the overwhelming majority of colon cancer cases still occur in people over 50.