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Health experts are tracking a concerning trend in colorectal cancer: Its burden is shifting to a younger population.
According to a 2024 report from the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 and the second in women of the same age group. Two decades ago, it was the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in these groups.
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“The continuous sharp increase in colorectal cancer in younger Americans is alarming,” Ahmedin Jemal, senior vice president of surveillance and health equity science at the American Cancer Society, said in a statement. “We need to halt and reverse this trend by increasing uptake of screening, including awareness of noninvasive stool tests with follow-up care, in people 45 to 49 years.”
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its guidelines in 2021 to say that individuals should get an initial screening for colorectal cancer at age 45, instead of waiting until they’re 50.
One reason screening is so important is because colorectal cancer, which is expected to affect 152,810 people in the U.S. in 2024, often doesn’t cause symptoms in the early stages, says Scott Kopetz, M.D., a professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. And catching the cancer in its earlier stages can be lifesaving.
“One take-home message is that screening shouldn’t be based on symptoms,” Kopetz stresses. “When you do have symptoms, colorectal cancer tends to be more advanced. That’s why it’s so important to follow screening guidelines.”
That said, the following red flags indicate you should be checked out immediately, even if you’ve recently had cancer screening such as a colonoscopy.
8 warning signs of colorectal cancer
- A change in bowel habits (think diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of your stool) that lasts for more than a few days.
- An urge to have a bowel movement that’s not relieved by having one.
- Rectal bleeding. “Any bleeding you see, even if it’s just one time, should not be ignored,” says Daniel Labow, M.D., executive vice chair of the Department of Surgery at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.
- Dark brown or black stool (which can indicate blood).
- Cramping or belly pain.
- Weakness and fatigue.
- Unexplained weight loss. If you have colorectal cancer, your body releases certain hormones into your bloodstream that can lead to weight loss, even if you continue to eat normally, Labow says.
- Unexplained anemia. “It could be from losing blood from someplace like your rectum,” Labow says.
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