Colon cancer is rising in teenagers and killing 45% within a year, doctors warn

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026.

Cancer doctors from Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute have warned that colon cancer is becoming more prevalent among teenagers and is considerably more lethal than it is in adults. A study covering patients aged 21 and under at 34 US hospitals found that 45 per cent died and 37 per cent experienced recurrence within a year — outcomes far worse than the UK's overall 60 per cent survival rate across all ages.

Back and abdominal pain is the most common symptom in teenagers, affecting nearly three-quarters of patients — not rectal bleeding, as is typically seen in older adults.

Doctors warn that delayed diagnosis, driven by less obvious symptoms in younger patients, is behind the disease's strikingly high death toll in this age group.

Colorectal cancer rates have risen sharply in people below 50 over the last two decades, with poor diets, sedentary lifestyles and rising obesity cited as likely causes.