The incidence of colorectal cancer among adults under 50 has increased by about 3% yearly, multiple reports indicate. Approximately 45% of colorectal cancer diagnoses are in people under 65 years old, according to those same sources. The five-year survival rate for distant (Stage 4) colorectal cancer is 13%, multiple reports confirm.
Natalie Hopper was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in March 2023 at age 42, according to major media sources. Her doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as stress due to her age, those sources said. Katie Rich was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2018 at age 33, multiple reports indicate. Her doctor initially dismissed her symptoms due to her age, according to those reports.
Randy League was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in early 2024 at age 45, multiple reports indicate. He had a golf ball-sized tumor in his rectum, according to those sources. Amber Kissell was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 36 after symptoms began in late 2015, according to major media sources. Her doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as hemorrhoids due to her age, those sources said.
Cheyenne Midwinter was diagnosed with bowel cancer at age 39, Aftonbladet reports. Zachary Whitfield was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in early 2025 at age 32, Aftonbladet reports.
Lawrence Fox was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in December 2024 at age 67, multiple reports indicate. His tumor shrunk from 75mm to 15mm after chemotherapy, according to those sources.
Public health experts are grappling with what specific biological or environmental factors are driving the increase in colorectal cancer among younger adults. It remains unclear what specific public health measures or screening guidelines are being recommended or implemented to address this rise.
How many of the patients featured are currently in remission or what their specific prognoses are post-treatment is not fully known. What official responses or policy changes medical associations or health authorities have issued regarding age bias in cancer diagnosis has not been specified in the reports.