Colon Cancer Rates Are Up Among the Young Worldwide

Key Takeaways

• More young adults are developing colon cancer around the world

• Rates of colon cancer in people ages 25 to 49 increased in 27 out of 50 countries

• The greatest annual increases were in New Zealand, Chile and Puerto Rico

MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- More young people around the world are falling prey to colon cancer, a new study shows.

Colon cancer rates in young adults have risen in 27 out of 50 countries around the world, including the United States, researchers found.

These rates among young adults are rising even as they’ve remained the same in middle-aged folks and seniors.

“The increase in early-onset colorectal cancer is a global phenomenon,” said lead researcher Dr. Hyuna Sung, a senior principal scientist of cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society (ACS).

“Previous studies have shown this rise in predominately high-income Western countries, but now, it is documented in various economies and regions worldwide,” Sung added in an ACS news release.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on colon cancer rates through 2017 from 50 countries and territories worldwide.

What did they find? Colon cancer rates among adults 25 to 29 increased in 27 countries.

The greatest annual increases were seen in New Zealand, Chile and Puerto Rico, all of which had growth rates of around 4% per year.

Increases in colon cancer were faster among young men than women in Chile, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Ecuador, Thailand, Sweden, Israel and Croatia, while young women experienced faster increases in England, Norway, Australia, Turkey, Costa Rica and Scotland, researchers found.

For the last five years, the incidence rate of early-onset colon cancer was highest in Australia, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, the United States and the Republic of Korea (14 to 17 per 100,000) and lowest in Uganda and India (4 per 100,000), the study found.

The findings were published Dec. 11 in the journal Lancet Oncology.

“The global scope of this concerning trend highlights the need for innovative tools to prevent and control cancers linked to dietary habits, physical inactivity and excess body weight,” Sung said.

“Ongoing efforts are essential to identify the additional factors behind these trends and to develop effective prevention strategies tailored to younger generations and local resources worldwide,” Sung added.

“Raising awareness of the trend and the distinct symptoms of early-onset colorectal cancer [e.g., rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, altered bowel habits and unexplained weight loss] among young people and primary care providers can help reduce delays in diagnosis and decrease mortality,” Sung said.

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said the study shows that “increasing rates of early onset bowel cancer, affecting adults aged 25-49, is a global issue.”

"A cancer diagnosis at any age has a huge impact on patients and their families -- so while it's important to note that rates in younger adults are still very low compared to people over 50, we need to understand what’s causing this trend in younger people,” Mitchell said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on colon cancer.

SOURCE: American Cancer Society, news release, Dec. 11, 2024

What This Means For You

Young adults should talk with their doctor about their risk for colon cancer.