Overview
- The American Cancer Society reported in JAMA Oncology that the three-decade rise in colorectal cancer deaths at ages 25–49 occurred almost entirely in people without a four-year degree.
- The analysis of 101,037 deaths from 1994–2023 found overall rates rose from about 3 to 4 per 100,000 while rates for high school graduates rose to 5.2 and the rate for college graduates stayed near 2.7.
- The mortality gap by schooling widened over time, with the disparity between those with 12 years or less and those with 16 years or more nearly doubling.
- Researchers used education listed on death certificates as a stand-in for socioeconomic status, which allows national tracking but does not identify causes such as income, insurance, or specific exposures.
- Experts called for targeted outreach, prevention, and screening that now begins at age 45, noting that deaths under 50 make up about 7% of U.S. colorectal cancer deaths and that risk factors include obesity, inactivity, diet, and family history.