New alarm for the under 50s? Colon cancer is predicted to become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in people under 50 by the end of the decade – experts are wondering why.
The disease is currently the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, especially among the elderly, but now there is a mysterious and dangerous increase in younger generations. Compared to a decade ago, the number of people under 50 diagnosed with cancer has doubled. The rate ofmortality has increased by 90% over the past two decades to 2030.
Doctors have long understood that poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle are major risk factors for colorectal cancer, which has become more common in younger generations.
But now they have identified other risk factors as well: including overuse of antibiotics and fungal infections in the intestine.