Colorectal Cancer in Younger Adults: What You Need to Know
"Get your screening done on time." That is the advice from EvergreenHealth Gastroenterologist Dr. Ehsaan Akhtar on the best way for young people to avoid colorectal cancer (CRC). It's an important question nowadays, as rates of CRC among people under 55 have been sharply increasing since the mid-1990s, going from one in ten diagnoses to one in five.
Why Are More Young Adults Getting Colorectal Cancer?
Why are more young adults being diagnosed with colorectal cancer? EvergreenHealth gastroenterologist Dr. Ehsaan Akhtar discusses possible causes, symptoms to watch for, when to start screening, prevention tips, and why early detection through colonoscopy can save lives.
Even more worrisome is the rate of that increase – about three percent more cases every year since 1995, according to the American Cancer Society. And the only age group whose numbers have increased over that period are people under 55.
This trend is troubling, but according to Dr. Akhtar, these figures are no cause for fear or despair. Instead, he discussed:
- Recommendations for CRC screening that vary depending on you and your family's medical history
- Simple lifestyle choices you can make to decrease your likelihood of developing CRC
- Symptoms to mention to your doctor
New Screening Guidelines, Depending on Family History
Due to the sharp increase in younger people being diagnosed with CRC, the ACS updated its guidelines in May 2026 for average-risk individuals to begin screening at age 45 and repeat every ten years. Average risk is defined as people without a strong personal or family history of polyps, CRC or other factors.
"But it's different if you have a family history of colon cancer or polyps," Dr. Akhtar said. A polyp is a growth in the colon that can become cancerous in five to ten years. "If that's the case, then we usually start screening at age 40 or 10 years before whenever that person was diagnosed because we think it takes ten years for a polyp to become colon cancer."
The most effective screening method remains a colonoscopy. This procedure involves a visual inspection of the rectum and colon to look for and remove polyps.
The ACS also included guidelines for at-home stool- and blood-based tests. Ask your primary care provider for more information about these and if an at-home test is right for you.
If you receive a positive result from an at-home test, your primary care provider will likely recommend a colonoscopy to gather more information. While small polyps can be removed during the colonoscopy, larger ones require surgery.
The ACS groups CRC into three different diagnosis types – localized, regional and distant. Localized CRC has not spread outside of the colon or rectum. Regional CRC has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes, and distant CRC has spread to tissues far away from the colon like the liver and lungs. The further the cancer has spread from the colon and rectum, the more life-threatening the cancer is.
What Can I Do To Help to Prevent Colorectal Cancer?
Dr. Akhtar's recommendations for helping prevent CRC are simple: "Eat a healthy diet of mostly fiber-rich whole foods, get plenty of activity and exercise and spend time outside to get adequate vitamin D exposure. And eat a lot of fiber too – a study found that for every 10 mg increase in total dietary fiber intake, the risk of developing colorectal cancer decreases by 13%."
Tell your doctor about repeated cases of hemorrhoids or anal fissures (tears in the lining of your anal canal), blood in the stool and unexpected weight loss or fatigue. Because early-stage, localized CRC is so treatable, Dr. Akhtar has one last and potentially lifesaving recommendation: "Get your screening done on time."
To learn more from Dr. Akhtar, you can listen to the full Check-Up Chat podcast episode or click to watch the vodcast.
You can also learn more about EvergreenHealth Digestive Care by visiting our website.
