For several years, scientists have been warning about the rise in cases of rectal and colon cancer in patients under 50 years of age.
- The risk of colorectal cancer increases after age 50.
- Various researchers have warned of the rise in cases of colorectal cancer in young populations.
- According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 153,020 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the United States in 2023.
Third most common cancer in men and second in women, colorectal cancer refers to cancers of the colon and rectum. “They develop from cells that line the inner wall of the colon or rectum, mainly, by gradual transformation of a benign polyp”explain Ameli Healththe health insurance platform.
Colorectal cancer: 1 in 5 cases concerns a patient under 55 years old
Several risk factors favor the occurrence of colorectal cancer. We distinguish in particular overweight, obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, a diet low in fiber and rich in red or processed meat. The risk of colorectal cancer also increases with age, especially after 50 years, but in recent years, studies have warned of an increase in the incidence rate of this disease in younger populations.
According to the American Cancer Societyone in five cases of colorectal cancer concerns a patient aged under 55, compared to one in ten cases in 1995. According to estimates by the American institution, in 2023, nearly 153,020 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, including 19,550 cases and 3,750 deaths in people under 50.
Rise in colorectal cancer: various factors implicated
In 2019, Doctor Thibaud Kössler, specialist in digestive tumors at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) in Switzerland, also warned of the increase in colorectal cancer in people aged 20 to 49, especially in certain regions of the world such as the United States or Switzerland. “We are not facing an epidemic, colon cancer in an adult under 50 remains something very rare (…) It is however important to ask where this increase comes from and especially how to stop it “he said.
In an article published on March 16, 2023 in the journal Science, scientists from Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA) have suggested that several factors could promote the early onset of colorectal cancer. In the eyes of the researchers, the environment, lifestyles, low screening rates and the patient’s genes could increase the risk of developing a colon or rectal tumor.
