Colorectal cancer has moved into the top spot as the deadliest cancer for Americans under 50, and doctors say too many people are still brushing off the warning signs, the Guardian reports. A new American Cancer Society analysis finds roughly three-quarters of younger patients are diagnosed only after the disease has advanced, in part because they haven't been screened and assume they're too young for something serious. Symptoms often dismissed as hemorrhoids—persistent rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habits, or very narrow stools—should trigger a medical visit if they last more than a couple weeks, experts say. Across all ages, colorectal cancer is the 2nd-leading cause of cancer deaths in the US, Fox News reports. Regular screenings are recommended from age 45 to 75 for those at average risk.
While colorectal cancer deaths are falling rapidly in people over 65, they've climbed among younger generations, jumping from the fifth to the leading cause of cancer death since the 1990s. Researchers suspect something introduced to the environment or food supply in the mid-20th century—possibly ultra-processed foods or plastics—may be raising risk, but no single cause has been pinned down. The shift is also forcing oncologists to confront fertility and sexual-health issues that matter more to patients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, with advocates urging doctors to discuss preservation options before treatment begins. "There are so many surveys that report that young survivors find out that they can't have children after their treatment is already finished," says the lead author of the analysis. Awareness of colorectal cancer in young patients has increased after the deaths of actors Chadwick Boseman and James Van Der Beek, Today reports.
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