Deaths from rectal cancer are rising among younger adults, according to a new study at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse.
The rate of rectal cancer is increasing two to three times more than colon cancer among younger adults, the study’s lead author, Mythili Menon Pathiyil, told NBC. If the trend continues, rectal cancer will surpass colon cancer as the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths in people under age 50 by 2035.
That appears to be consistent with new data published last month by the American Cancer Society, which found nearly half of all new colorectal cancer cases are occurring in adults under 65, largely driven by an increase in rectal cancer. The New York Times reports colorectal cancer rates have declined among older adults since the 1980s thanks to more screenings to detect precancerous polyps and early-stage cancers…