Why are more people under 50 getting colorectal cancer? Scientists have some clues
Many factors may be driving an uptick of the cancer among younger and middle-aged adults
By Meghan Rosen
Abdominal pain is one clue something could be wrong. Changing bowel movements may be another. Other people might notice blood in their stool. Doctors may chalk that symptom up to hemorrhoids, but for some people, it’s a sign of something more insidious: early-onset colorectal cancer.
Many of the patients that Thejus Jayakrishnan sees are in their 30s or 40s, establishing themselves in their careers and perhaps settling down in a new house with young kids at home. When they find out they have colorectal cancer, they’re shocked, he says. “It’s not something you expect.” In some cases, the cancer, which takes root in the large intestine, has already spread through the body and encroached on the liver or lungs.