New research shows that colon cancer is becoming more common in younger people, like 44-year-old Anna Canale of Plainview, Long Island.

New research shows that colon cancer is becoming more common in younger people, like 44-year-old Anna Canale of Plainview, Long Island.
New research shows that colon cancer is becoming more common in younger people, like 44-year-old Anna Canale of Plainview, Long Island.

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The mother of three says she never would have guessed that she had cancer.

Colorectal cancer is increasingly diagnosed at later stages and in younger people, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. Advanced disease accounts for 60% of all new cases.

It is still the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. This year, the American Cancer Society predicts 153,020 new cases and 52,550 deaths.

"It's truly this shift toward more aggressive disease that is putting roadblocks in our ability to save more lives from colorectal cancer," Knudsen adds. The best medicine we have for detecting and eliminating colorectal cancer early is encouraging people to pay attention to their bodies, take control of their health, and undergo screenings according to guidelines tailored to them.

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Scientists have observed an uptick in the incidence of colorectal cancer in younger adults despite a general decrease in the disease's incidence among the elderly.

CBS News' chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook attributes the decline in patients over the age of 50 to the success of colonoscopies in detecting polyps that can be removed before they develop into cancer.

For people of average risk, the age when they should have their first colonoscopy was reduced to 45 in 2018.
More than half of colorectal cancers are attributed to potentially modifiable risk factors, like diet, exercise, and smoking, but doctors are unsure of the cause of the increase in cases among younger people.

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The composition of a person's microbiome is another factor that LaPook says scientists are looking into.


"What I find particularly intriguing is the idea that it could be the microbiome, or the trillions of bacteria that live in our digestive systems. It has been found that certain species, out of the estimated 2,000 total, are associated with an increased risk of colon cancer "In an interview from 2018, he elaborated. "And when you consider that we have been altering our microbiome (via antibiotic use and dietary shifts, for example), one of the theories is that we are messing up our microbiome, thereby increasing the risk. Theoretically, yes."

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Follow Info Report for more useful information.Know your risks, including those posed by your family history, and get screened, say doctors.

Canale, who was diagnosed with colon cancer before she was old enough to have a routine screening colonoscopy, believes that earlier screenings should be performed.

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Both the primary tumor in her colon (about the size of a large orange) and the metastasized disease in her liver were quite large. Canale claims that her tumors have shrunk as a result of consistent chemotherapy treatment. And Canale says that she is living a full life with her family and keeping a positive attitude despite the rigors of treatment.

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