16. Colorectal Cancer Symptoms in Younger Adults
Cancer screening has traditionally been viewed as something adults need to think about after 50. That picture is shifting. Colon cancer screening with colonoscopy is now recommended starting at age 45. More urgently, the AACR Cancer Progress Report noted that colorectal cancer death rates among those diagnosed before age 50 have risen meaningfully in recent decades — signaling the growing need to take early symptoms seriously in younger populations.
Rectal bleeding, persistent changes in bowel habits, or new abdominal pain in adults under 50 should not be dismissed as “too young to worry about cancer.” These symptoms in a younger adult deserve the same prompt evaluation they would receive in an older one.