Gastrointestinal Cancers Are Rising Among US Adults Under 50

Newsweek

3 days ago

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A new review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that early-onset gastrointestinal cancers—including colon, pancreatic, and stomach cancers—are rising significantly among adults under 50 in the United States.
Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the review's authors for comment via email on Saturday.
Why It Matters
Cancer was one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. in 2023, with 613,349 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The review's findings come amid the Trump administration's proposed deep cuts for scientific programming, including $18 billion in funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funding cuts are expected to have wide-reaching effects on NIH programs, including disease research and the development of new drugs. The NIH, through the National Cancer Institute, provides a significant share of funding for cancer research throughout the U.S.
Health policy has been a point of contention during the Trump administration's second term, with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoting a "Make America Healthy Again" platform. The administration has faced criticism from scientists and physicians over vaccine misinformation and skepticism toward established immunization practices, particularly amid a resurgence of measles in the country.
What To Know
A review authored by two doctors at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute published in the peer-reviewed JAMA highlighted that "early-onset GI cancers, typically defined as cancer diagnosed in individuals younger than 50 years, are among the largest subset of early-onset cancers globally." It found that GI- cancers are the fastest-growing type of cancer to be diagnosed in adults under 50 in the U.S.
The review noted that in the U.S. over 24,000 people were reported with early-onset GI cancers in 2022, with the vast majority, 20,800 diagnosed with colon cancer. Over the past decade, from 2010 to 2019, the age-standardized incidence rate of early-onset GI cancers in the U.S. increased 2.16 percent.
Adults age 45 and older are advised to begin regular screening for colon cancer, which can help detect the disease early and reduce the risk of death.
The review notes that there are "modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors" associated with the development of early-onset gastrointestinal cancers, stating that "obesity, low-quality diet (e.g., high consumption of processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and ultraprocessed foods), sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption" all may increase risk. Nonmodifiable factors include family history, heredity, and bowel disease.
The report relied on data from various medical articles, reviews, studies, and trials, as well as statistics from various cancer institutes over the past decade.
Treatment of early-onset GI cancers often include some combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation depending on the size, stage, location, and type of cancer.
Demonstrators protest funding cuts outside of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 8.
Demonstrators protest funding cuts outside of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 8.
Photo by MICHAEL MATHES/AFP via Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Dr. Kimmie Ng, the review's co-author and director of the Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told NBC News: "This really points to the importance of trying to improve screening and early detection."
Dr. John Marshall, chief medical consultant at the nonprofit Colorectal Cancer Alliance, told NBC News: "It never used to happen in this age group, and now a very significant rise in 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds are getting colon cancer."
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday: "Fewer than 1 in 5 U.S. adults screened for colorectal cancer, despite guidelines. This review in @JAMA_current by @DanaFarber charts a global rise of many GI cancers, noting colorectal cancer leads the alarming trend."
What Happens Next?
The proposed 2026 fiscal budget, which includes massive cuts to NIH, is before Congress. If approved, it would go into effect in October.