Colon, Rectal Cancers On The Rise Among Younger Patients

USA Today (2/28, Painter),  AP (2/28, Neergaard), the Washington Post (2/28, A1, McGinley), and the New York Times (2/28, Rabin, Subscription Publication) report that research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute indicates “colon and rectal cancers have increased dramatically and steadily in millennials and Generation X adults in the United States over the past four decades.”  Rebecca Siegel, who led the study, “suggested one explanation might be a complex interaction involving the same factors that have contributed to the obesity epidemic — changes in diet, a sedentary lifestyle, excess weight and low fiber consumption.”  Young people with colorectal cancer may be diagnosed later in the course of their disease.