An analysis of National Cancer Institute data reveals that overall colon cancer rates fell by roughly 1% every year between 1975 and 2010. However, the rate of colon cancer among people ages 20 to 34 actually rose 2% annually and individuals between ages 35 and 49 saw a half-percent yearly increase during the same time period. Study co-author Dr. Jason Zell writes, “Multiple research organizations have shown that colon cancer is rising in those under 50, and our study found the same, particularly among very young adults… Which means that the epidemiology of this disease is changing, even if the absolute risk among young adults is still very low.”
Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology, December 2014