Colon Cancer Signs in Young Adults Often Dismissed

While the overall rates of colorectal colon cancer declined by 3.6% annually among adults 55 and older from 2007 to 2016, it increased by 2% annually in that time period among those under age 55, the American Cancer Society says.
In 2020, the American Cancer Society estimates there will be nearly 108,000 cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed, with 53,200 deaths.
Ronit Yarden, PhD, an adjunct associate professor of oncology at Georgetown University School of Medicine and former senior director of medical affairs, Colorectal Cancer Alliance, says this lack of awareness may be partly to blame for rising rates of colon cancer in adults under 55.
Most respondents, 63%, said they were not aware that colorectal cancer can affect people younger than 50.
But many had several symptoms, and the combination of them should have raised suspicion about colorectal cancer, she says.

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