These cancers are much more common in older patients. But new data from Canada and the U.S. show a sharp increase among adults in their 20s and 30s.

A colored scanning electron micrograph of a dividing colorectal cancer cell. Credit Steve Gschmeissner/Science Source
Colorectal cancer is typically considered a disease of aging — most new cases are diagnosed in people over age 50. But even as the rates decrease in older adults, scientists have documented a worrisome trend in the opposite direction among patients in their 20s and 30s.
Now, data from national cancer registries in Canada add to the evidence that colorectal cancer rates are rising in younger adults. The increases may even be accelerating. Continue reading