Although colon cancer rates are decreasing among adults 50 years of age and older, colon cancer is affecting young adults at an alarming rate. Using the U.S. National Center Data Base, researchers examined information from over 1 million colon cancer cases between 2004 to 2013. Colon cancer incidence among individuals 50 years of age or older increased by 11.4 percent, or 136 cases each year during the study period.
Among adults age 50 and older, colon cancer incidence decreased by 2.5 percent during the study period. Similarly, a lower percentage of patients age 50 and older were diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer (stages 3 or 4) than patients under 50 years of age.
Although the recommended screening age for colon cancer is 50 years of age, many researchers think that the colonoscopy age should be lowered. What everyone does agree upon is that more needs to be done to fight colon cancer in young adults.
While it is still not known why colon cancer incidence is increasing among the young, it may be connected to body weight. Obesity is a significant risk factor for colon cancer, and obesity rates have increased in the past years. With continued research, colon cancer screening guidelines may require some revising.
"While the health care system has done a great deal to address colorectal cancer in people over 50 … 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 Dr. Elie Sutton, the study's lead author and a research fellow at Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York. "It's critical that we reverse this trend so that we are able to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, [colorectal cancer] in all populations, regardless of age."
In the meantime, Sutton encourages doctors to be more proactive about detecting colon cancer symptoms in younger patients. "Don't hesitate to move forward with a colonoscopy" in younger patients who have symptoms of colorectal cancer, such as rectal bleeding, Sutton said (Source: Live Science).