In September, more than 400 leading scientists from academia, industry, and government, along with patient advocates, gathered online to exchange ideas and information about colorectal cancer in younger adults. “And that’s important to learn more about because it may affect the treatment and survivorship of early-onset colon cancer.” “We don’t understand a lot about the causes, the biology, or how to prevent early onset of the disease,” said Phil Daschner, a program director in NCI’s Division of Cancer Biology. This rapid increase is especially puzzling because the rate of colorectal cancer has plummeted among older adults-largely due to regular colonoscopies and lower rates of smoking. Not only that, but more younger people are dying from the disease.

Since the 1990s, the rate of colorectal cancer (which includes cancers of the colon and rectum) has been rising steadily among adults younger than 50. Unfortunately, Dallmann's experience reflects a growing trend seen across the country. At just 40 years old, he was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer. At his annual physical, it didn’t take long for his doctor to find the tumor. “I just figured it was my lot in life to live with blood in my stool, and returned to ignoring it,” he wrote.īut then he started feeling sharp pains in his pelvis and knew something was seriously wrong. He was told that the cause was tiny rips in his intestines, which can’t really be treated.

“But, since it only happened occasionally and didn’t cause any pain, I didn’t give it much thought and never brought it up with my doctor,” he wrote i n a personal account of his experience.Ī few years later, when the bleeding became more frequent and intense, he decided to get it checked out. Doug Dallmann was in his early thirties when he first noticed blood in his stool.

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