Overview
- Reports published Thursday detail a preliminary study of CDC death records from 1999 to 2023 showing a sharp rise in rectal cancer deaths among adults ages 20 to 44.
- The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed and will be presented at Digestive Disease Week in May, found rectal cancer mortality increasing two to three times faster than colon cancer across groups.
- Researchers projected that, if current patterns persist, rectal cancer deaths could surpass colon cancer deaths in younger adults by 2035.
- The steepest increases were seen in Hispanic adults and in parts of the Western United States, prompting calls for faster evaluation of rectal bleeding and other symptoms.
- U.S. screening generally starts at age 45, yet many younger patients are diagnosed after the disease has spread, which is driving interest in earlier symptom work-ups and more use of flexible sigmoidoscopy to spot rectal tumors.