Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer deaths among Americans under age 50, according to a new study published Wednesday (January 22) in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This marks a major shift from three decades ago, when it ranked fifth among cancer deaths for this age group.
The research, conducted by the American Cancer Society, analyzed more than 1.2 million cancer deaths in people younger than 50 from 1990 through 2023. The study found that while the overall death rate from cancer in this age group fell by 44%, deaths from colorectal cancer increased by about 1.1% each year since 2005. This trend stands in sharp contrast to declining death rates for other major cancers, including lung, breast, brain, and leukemia. The findings were reported by the American Cancer Society and confirmed in the JAMA study.
KFI host Bill Handel spoke about his recent experience with colon cancer, while Amy advised everybody to get screened early.