Finally, some bright news is emerging on the bleak topic of early-onset colorectal cancer.
A recent report published in JAMA Oncology found that people diagnosed with it Early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) has been associated with improved survival compared to people diagnosed at age 55 and older – colorectal cancer (AOCRC).
In the US, the number of people under the age of 55 diagnosed with cancer has doubled in the past decade, and more people die from the disease each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Once thought of as a disease that strikes later in life, skin cancer is increasing among young people with chronic pain.
Younger patients are often diagnosed in advanced stages because their symptoms are ignored or mistaken for more serious health problems.
However, a recent JAMA Oncology reportthat analyzed 100,000 patients with colorectal cancer, found that those diagnosed before age 50 had improved overall survival compared to their older counterparts.
The good news comes with a caveat: the researchers found that delay in treatment was independently associated with worse survival rates among patients with EOCRC.
According to the study, those with EOCRC are more likely to be Hispanic, have left-sided or rectal tumors, and have advanced disease, confirming that treatment delays compromise survival rates and suggesting that language barriers may contribute to delays in diagnosis and treatment in this population.
The exact reasons for the rise in early-stage colorectal cancer are still unclear, but studies show that modern lifestyle factors – such as sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and high consumption of processed foods – contribute to the problem.
According to the ACS, colorectal screening “significantly improves survival,” as studies show early-stage detection yields a five-year survival rate of more than 90% in the US.
About one in three American adults are eligible for colorectal cancer screening but have not been screened.
Last year, a groundbreaking The study revealed that colibactin, a toxin produced by certain strains of E. coli, may be the cause of late surgery for early-onset colorectal cancer.
Recently, research has suggested that early exposure to picloram, a widely used herbicide, may exacerbate the dreaded outbreak.
Nationwide, the ACS estimates more than 158,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the US this year, and more than 55,000 people will die from the disease.
About half of those diagnoses are expected to be in people under the age of 65, a sharp change from the 1990s, when the disease was mostly found in older people.
To stay ahead of the trend, the ACS recommends you start testing at age 45.
In addition to a routine colonoscopy, the ACS now recommends that patients receive a blood-based screening test at the doctor’s office to detect tumor DNA.
ACS also suggests a home test option that looks for occult blood and molecular markers in stool samples.
