Colorectal cancer is rising among young adults; scientists don't know why

Colorectal cancer increases among younger adults

The proportion of colorectal cancer diagnoses among adults younger than 55 in the United States has been increasing since the 1990s, and no one knows why.

Colorectal cancer is rising among younger adults and scientists are racing to uncover why

Among younger adults, ages 20 to 49, colorectal cancer is estimated to become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States by 2030.

Colorectal cancer is rising among younger adults and scientists are racing to uncover why

By Jacqueline Howard, CNN Nikki Lawson received the shock of her life at age 35. A couple of years ago, she noticed that her stomach often felt irritable, and she would get sudden urges to use the restroom, sometimes with blood in her stool. She even went to the hospital one day when her symptoms were severe, she said, and she was told it might be a stomach ulcer before being sent home. “That was around the time when Chadwick Boseman, the actor,…

Colorectal cancer is rising among young adults; scientists don't know why

Nikki Lawson received the shock of her life at age 35.

Colorectal cancer is rising among younger adults and scientists are racing to uncover why

Nikki Lawson received the shock of her life at age 35.

Why are colorectal cancer cases increasing among younger adults?

Factors that increase the risk of colorectal cancer include having a family history of the disease, having a certain genetic mutation, drinking too much alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or being obese.