JAMA Study: Colorectal Cancer Now Top Cancer Killer in Americans 50 and Under

An American Cancer Society analysis published Thursday in JAMA finds that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer‑related death among U.S. men and women age 50 and younger, up from fifth place in the 1990s. Using national mortality data across multiple decades, researchers report that while overall cancer deaths in this age group have fallen by about 44% since 1990, colorectal cancer is the only major malignancy whose death rate is rising in younger adults. Gastroenterologists say the surge likely reflects a mix of genetic susceptibility and changing exposures — including diet, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, antibiotic history and environmental factors — but emphasize that the precise drivers remain unclear. Experts urge Americans to heed current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidance to start routine colorectal screening at age 45 (earlier with family or genetic risk) and to seek prompt evaluation for warning signs such as rectal bleeding, persistent bowel‑habit changes, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss or anemia. The study underscores a growing public‑health concern that a cancer long viewed as a disease of older adults is increasingly striking people in their 30s and 40s, prompting calls on social media and from clinicians for more aggressive awareness and insurance‑backed access to colonoscopy and stool‑based tests.