Overview

• Incidence rates for early-onset colorectal cancer have risen about 2 percent annually in the United States and more than 8 percent per year in Germany since 2011.
• People born around 1990 face roughly double the colon cancer risk and quadruple the rectal cancer risk compared to those born in 1950.
• Meta-analysis identifies red-flag symptoms— including fresh blood in stool, abdominal pain and altered bowel habits—that are frequently dismissed in patients under 50.
• The median interval from first symptoms to diagnosis is approximately 6.4 months, with delays ranging from under two months to over a year.
• Experts are urging health authorities to revise screening guidelines and lower the recommended age to detect rising cases in younger adults.