According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is most deadly in Americans under 50, in part because they are generally detected later, when the disease is aggressive.
- Colorectal cancer is the deadliest in men under 50, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.
- Young adults tend to be diagnosed later, when the disease is more aggressive.
- According to the Panorama of cancers in France – 2023 edition, “if detected early, colorectal cancer is curable in 9 out of 10 cases.”
Colorectal cancer is now the deadliest among men under 50 in the United States and second among women under 50, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.
Colorectal cancer: young “triathletes and marathon runners in very good health” suffer from it
This report states that “Colorectal cancer was the fourth leading cause of cancer death among men and women under the age of 50 in the late 1990s.” An important development in young patients. The doctor William Dahutscientific director of the American Cancer Societyindicates in an article in the NBC News, that young adults tend to be diagnosed at later stages, when the disease is more aggressive and the chances of recovery lower. Indeed, according to the Panorama of cancers in France – 2023 edition“if detected early, colorectal cancer is curable in 9 out of 10 cases.”
But why such an increase among young people? For the moment, no cause has been scientifically validated. “For several decades now, we have noticed that the patients who come to our clinic seem younger and younger, noted Kimmie Ngcancer specialist, to NBC News. Many of them are triathletes and marathon runners, very healthy people.” Which excludes the hypothesis of obesity or a sedentary lifestyle as an explanatory factor for this increase.
Environmental factors responsible for the increase in colorectal cancers among young adults
For Kimmie Ng, the reason could come more from environmental factors. “What we assume is that whatever combination of environmental factors is responsible for this is likely altering our microbiomes or our immune systems, leading us to become more susceptible to these cancers at a younger age,” she continues.
In France, the colorectal cancer screening program concerns adults from 50 years old to 74 years old. Every two years, Health Insurance invites these people to participate in the colorectal cancer screening program. The screening kit is available free of charge from your general practitioner, in a pharmacy or to order online to receive it at home.
In France, the median age of diagnosis is 71 years for men and 72 years for women. But if you feel symptoms before – intestinal transit disorders, presence of blood in the stools, abdominal or rectal pain – you must consult your doctor to establish the diagnosis as soon as possible.
