A new report reveals that a third of colon cancer cases now occur in the rectum. Take these steps to protect yourself at any age.

• Rectal cancer, a type of colon cancer that is often associated with more blood in the stool, is on the rise.

• Experts suspect something in our environment triggers the condition — and dietary changes may play a role.

• Home stool tests, colonoscopies and learning more about key symptoms can all help.

The increasing number of colon cancer cases being diagnosed in people in their 40s, 50s and 60s is a clear sign that something in our modern environment is disrupting colon health and making colon cancer more common in younger generations.

A new report released today by the American Cancer Society shows that colon cancer is becoming a disease of middle age, striking during those prime years when people are buying homes, developing careers and starting families. In particular, the incidence of rectal cancer, the cancer of the colon at the very end of the intestine, is rising dramatically and now accounts for one-third of all colon cancers diagnosed.

Scientists aren’t sure why this happens, but the data are shocking: Between 1998 and 2022, the rate of rectal cancer diagnoses doubled in people under 50. This suggests that whatever is driving the rise in colon cancer in young adults is having a greater impact on people’s rectal tissue, suggesting that environmental triggers, rather than a lack of physical activity, may be to blame.

“This is some environmental or behavioral exposure that was introduced in the second half of the 20th century,” cancer epidemiologist Rebecca Siegel, lead author of the new report, told Business Insider. “Whatever the change in exposure was, it had a greater impact on the development of rectal cancer. That’s a very important clue for researchers.”

This isn’t your grandfather’s colon cancer

Colon cancer has quickly become the deadliest cancer among people under 50, but researchers don’t yet know why. The news that rectal cancer is driving this trend is particularly useful to researchers because different triggers affect different areas of the gut. For example, physical inactivity is a key driver of some colon cancers, but not rectal cancer.

“A lot of people think it could be something we’re eating,” said Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. “This is partly due to the greater exposure of the colon, but also because things have changed dramatically since 1950.”

The risk of colon cancer has increased with every generation, starting with the baby boomers. You can see it in the data: The incidence of colon cancer in people under 50 is rising by 3% per year, and most are diagnosed at an advanced stage, while the incidence of colon cancer in people over 65 is declining, by about 2.5% per year.

According to the new report, almost half (45%) of colon cancer diagnoses today are in people under the age of 65. The face of colon cancer is changing, with experts and patients alike calling for more awareness and awareness. While lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy, fiber-rich diet, exercising regularly, avoiding overly processed meats, and avoiding alcohol can help reduce the risk of colon cancer, there are no guarantees. Many people who eat clean, live healthy habits and have no family history of colon cancer are being diagnosed.

“This is really like a slow-moving tsunami that will continue to affect more and more people,” Siegel said.

The trend is global

This is not just happening in the United States, but is a trend that is gradually being reflected around the world. At least 26 countries have reported similar trends in colon cancer in young people under 50 years of age.

Colon cancer is diagnosed later and is more deadly in younger people. Today, three-quarters of colon cancer diagnoses in patients under 50 years of age present as advanced disease, and one-third of the estimated 55,230 colon cancer deaths in the United States this year will be in people under 65 years of age.

Blood in the stool is a warning sign that doctors and patients need to take seriously

Reversing this trend will require increased awareness among patients and doctors, as well as more colonoscopies—not only to detect cancer, but also to prevent it by removing precancerous growths.

“There are opportunities for early diagnosis, but the problem is, especially for young people, they don’t know the symptoms and they don’t want to talk about them,” Siegel said. “Sometimes they even go to the doctor with these symptoms and are diagnosed with hemorrhoids.”

Laura Behnke, who was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer at age 42, just months after giving birth to her baby girl, was one of those who thought the bloody mucus clinging to her stool might just be pregnancy hemorrhoids.

“No one has ever asked me, ‘How is the bleeding? How often does it happen?'” she told Business Insider. “We all just said, ‘Oh, hemorrhoids, cool.'”

Both Behnke and Siegel emphasized that it is critical to normalize discussions about symptoms such as bloody stools and stomach cramps.

“It’s really important for people to have these conversations with their families at the dinner table,” Siegel said. “Change the subject and normalize this conversation because that will help.”

Doctors are also slowly realizing that younger patients can also develop colon cancer.

Everyone over the age of 45 should have regular colonoscopies. If a colonoscopy feels too inconvenient, you can start with a simple and inexpensive at-home stool test called a fecal immunochemical test (FIT). This test is excellent for detecting rectal cancer. A 2021 study in Germany evaluated the effectiveness of nine different brands of at-home FIT tests in detecting colon cancer and found that overall, FIT tests had the highest sensitivity for rectal tumors.

The first thing to watch for are the symptoms: Bloody mucus in your stool, severe abdominal cramping, or other changes in toileting habits are all worth seeing your doctor.

“I think it’s clear now and hopefully everyone will be more aware that this is not an older person’s disease,” Behnke said. “So if you do have any symptoms, any concerns, anything that doesn’t feel right, you have every right to go to your doctor and demand some answers.”

Read the original article on Business Insider