Bloomberg News (6/9, Chase) reports, "Colorectal cancer rates are rising in adults younger than 50 with the biggest jump, more than five percent, recorded in those ages 20 to 29," according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Investigators "didn't identify a cause for the increase," but Elizabeth Ward, "vice president of surveillance and health policy research at the society, said rising obesity and diabetes rates and diets heavy in red and processed meats are likely culprits." Nonetheless, the "fact that cancer is affecting younger people is worrisome," added Ward. "We want to educate healthcare practitioners and the public that this increase is happening."

        The team first identified the trend after reviewing "data on about 11,000 men and 9,800 women younger than 50 that was gleaned from 13 US cancer registries that tracked information from 1992 through 2005," HealthDay (6/8, Mozes) added. They discovered that during that time, "colorectal cancer rates increased 1.5 percent a year among men younger than 50 and 1.6 percent a year among women younger than 50." Notably, "among non-Hispanic white adults, the research team noted that much of the increase was attributable to a rise in rectal cancer rates." The researchers also found that "incident rate increases for colorectal cancer had edged up in every age category below 50 -- namely, among those 20 to 29, 30 to 39, and 40 to 49." Once again, the largest increase "occurred in the youngest age group, those between 20 and 29 years old. Incident rates in this age range rose 5.2 percent a year in men and 5.6 percent a year in women." The team is unsure, however, about "the underlying cause for the age disparity."