Colorectal cancer cases in US children rise sixfold over two decades, study finds
Researchers investigating aggressive forms of the disease in youth, pointing to potential environmental triggers
Colorectal cancer rates among children and teens in the United States have increased dramatically over the past 20 years, with diagnoses in children aged 10 to 14 rising from 1 per million in 1999 to 6 per million in 2020, and for those aged 15 to 19 from 3 per million to 13 per million, according to a new analysis of CDC data. The disease remains rare in young people, but new research suggests it often presents more aggressively in this age group.