Research has shown that colorectal cancer cases are increasingly showing up in younger adults. Now, data shows that cases are also rising in kids.
A new 22-year analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there were dramatic increases in colorectal cancers in kids between 1999 and 2020.
The researchers found that the rate of colorectal cancers grew 500% in kids ages 10 to 14 during that time, 333% in teens ages 15 to 19 and 185% in young adults ages 20 to 24. The data is being presented at Digestive Disease Week later this month.
It’s important to stress that the overall numbers of these cases are low. For example, in 2020, just 0.6 children ages 10 to 14 per 100,000 kids were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, compared to 0.1 per 100,000 in 1999.
In teens, the number increased from 0.3 to 1.3 per 100,000, and in young adults, cases increased from 0.7 to 2 per 100,000.
Still, doctors say these increases are worth paying attention to. “These findings are definitely alarming,” Dr. Tiago Biachi, a medical oncologist in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center, tells Yahoo Life. Here’s what parents need to know.
It’s not clear why colorectal cancers in younger people are increasing. However, Biachi says there are a few things to keep in mind.
Dr. Anton Bilchik, a surgical oncologist, chief of medicine and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., also stresses the rarity of this.
The study found that these were the most common symptoms patients with colorectal cancer experienced:
Changes in bowel habits with either constipation or diarrhea.
Abdominal pain.
Rectal bleeding.
Signs of iron deficiency anemia.
How to tell symptoms of colorectal cancer from less serious stomach issues
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If your child has the symptoms listed above, it doesn’t automatically mean they have colorectal cancer, Hyams says — and it’s much more likely that the symptoms are caused by something else. Bilchik agrees. “Kids often have gastrointestinal symptoms,” he says. “That doesn’t mean that every symptom is a sign of a disease.”
But Hyams says there are a few things that should push you to get your child evaluated by a doctor. “If any child is persistent — for more than a month or two — abdominal pain, loose stools with blood, anemia and weight loss, those should be looked at,” he says.
Doctors will usually do tests like stool testing, blood work and abdominal X-rays before moving on to a larger procedure like a colonoscopy, Hyams says.
But Casillas recommends being on top of your child’s gut health and continuing to push for answers if something seems off. “If your child is not getting better, it should prompt something more in terms of studies,” she says.
Bilchik also says the latest study’s findings are a good reminder to start healthy habits early. “Start eating healthy young, get plenty of physical activity young,” he says.
Still, doctors stress that parents shouldn’t panic over these study results. “Colorectal cancer is still incredibly rare in children,” Bilchik says.