As medical director of the Moncrief Cancer Institute, Dr. Keith Argenbright is on alert when it comes to rates of early-onset cancer in Tarrant County.
In recent months, Argenbright and other experts have been keeping their eyes on one concerning trend: Colorectal cancer is increasing among younger adults.
Colorectal cancer develops from growths in the colon’s inner lining. Colon cancer and rectal cancer are often grouped together because they have many features in common.
Nearly double the number of young adults under the age of 54 are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer today compared to a decade ago. Diagnoses of people under 54 increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019, according to a 2023 study from the American Cancer Society.
Argenbright said researchers don’t understand why colon cancer is on the rise in younger populations, but many are trying to figure it out.
Despite the increases, the overall number of cases in people younger than 40 is still low, and remains exceedingly rare in people under the age of 30.
In Tarrant County, nonprofit Cancer Care Services saw an increase in colon cancer referrals for people in their 30s last year. Still, the majority of the nonprofit’s referrals continue to be patients in their 40s and older.
Some data suggests environmental factors, such as air quality and food production, could be a key factor in the diagnoses, said Argenbright.
“Maybe it’s the toxins from the air we breathe or the stuff we’re ingesting, especially as we’ve gone to more of these ultraprocessed foods,” he said. “Again, we haven’t completely figured out which factors are causing this to happen, but it’s absolutely happening.”
Recent generations have consumed more ultraprocessed foods and have been known to binge drink more frequently. But, there is definitely more research that needs to be conducted to confirm these habits are contributing factors, said Argenbright.
Other data suggests obesity and a lack of access to screenings could be factors in rising incidences of colon cancer in younger adults. Researchers suggest the rising incidences are due to hereditary factors, but the majority of early onset diagnoses don’t have a genetic predisposition, said Carlton Allen, program manager for prevention at the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas.
Across Texas, researchers are seeing similar trends of colon cancer rates rising in younger populations, Allen said.
Colon cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in both men and women in Texas. An estimated 12,444 Texans were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2022 and about 4,447 died from it, according to the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas.
Argenbright emphasized the importance of staying aware of research updates and pointed to the innovations in cancer treatments that have been made over the past decade.
“We have so many more drugs now than we did even 10 years ago,” he said. “As you go through this illness, we’re going to be discovering new therapies that we’ll be able to use that we don’t even have available to us now. It’ll just take us a little while longer.”
For now, health experts advise adults as young as 20 years old to be aware of the warning signs associated with colon cancer.
Adults should talk to their doctors about any symptoms, including constipation, rectal bleeding or sudden changes in bowel movements. The incidence rate is still too low to justify routine colonoscopies for young adults, according to Yale Medicine.
To avoid colon cancer, young adults should exercise, consume adequate fiber, drink responsibly and lose weight, if possible.
People who do not have an increased risk for colorectal cancer should get a colonoscopy screening every 10 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In May 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended age to start colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45.
For Tarrant County residents without health insurance, Texas Health Resources’ mobile health units and the Moncrief Cancer Institute offer free colon cancer screening services and kits. Make an appointment by calling Texas Health Resources at 855-318-7696 or contacting Moncrief Cancer Institute.
David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
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