Doctors Warn Early-Onset Lung, Colorectal Cancers Are Rising as Screening Before 50 Misses Cases
Updated
Updated · Medscape · Jul 17
Doctors Warn Early-Onset Lung, Colorectal Cancers Are Rising as Screening Before 50 Misses Cases
1 articles · Updated · Medscape · Jul 17
Summary
Young adults under 50 are increasingly developing lung and colorectal cancers, with oncologists saying many patients now present around age 40 with locally advanced or metastatic disease.
Colorectal screening now starts at 45, but doctors said that still misses younger patients; they urged people with symptoms or family history to push for earlier evaluation.
Lung cancer trends are also shifting, with rates in young women surpassing young men in 2019, while many younger patients have never smoked and the causes remain unclear.
Less than 20% of eligible people had lung cancer screening in 2025, the doctors said, arguing current age-and-smoking criteria are too restrictive and too complex.
Researchers are studying possible drivers including hormones, diet, the microbiome, pollution and cooking fumes, but the doctors said awareness and early detection remain the best immediate tools.
With AI and new blood tests, can we predict cancer in the young before it's too late?
Why are young people's bodies aging faster, triggering an explosion in early-onset cancers?
Early-Onset Cancer Crisis: Doubling Colorectal Cancer Incidence in Under-50s and the Race for Equity
Overview
Recent years have seen a significant and alarming rise in early-onset cancers, especially colorectal cancer in people under 50. Globally, the number of early-onset colorectal cancer cases nearly doubled from 1990 to 2021. In the United States, incidence rates for young adults aged 25-29 increased sharply between 1999 and 2020. This trend is prompting urgent changes in public health strategies, including earlier screening and greater awareness of symptoms. The growing burden of these cancers highlights the need for better prevention, timely diagnosis, and more research to understand and address the factors driving this surge among younger populations.