NEW YORK (Diya TV) — Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer deaths among people younger than 50 in the United States, according to a new study that is raising alarm among doctors and public health experts. The findings, published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, show a sharp and troubling rise in colorectal cancer deaths in younger adults. The increase stands out at a time when overall cancer death rates in this age group continue to fall.

Researchers found that colorectal cancer death rates among people under 50 increased by about 1% every year from 2005 through 2023. During the same period, total cancer death rates in this age group dropped by 44% since 1990.

By 2023, colorectal cancer moved from being the fifth-leading cause of cancer death among younger people to the first. It overtook lung cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, and brain cancer, all of which showed steady declines in deaths.

“It is absolutely an outlier,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study.

Experts once projected that colorectal cancer would become the top cancer killer among people under 50 by 2030. Instead, the study shows it reached that position seven years earlier, in 2023.

The researchers analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute. The data covered nearly 1.3 million cancer deaths among people younger than 50 from 1990 through 2023. While most colorectal cancer cases still occur in older adults, diagnoses among people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s have climbed steadily for decades.

Deaths from lung cancer among younger adults dropped from first place in 1990 to fourth place in 2023. From 2014 to 2023, lung cancer deaths fell by nearly 6% each year.

Leukemia deaths declined by about 2.5% per year during the same period. Breast cancer remained the second-leading cause of cancer death overall and the top cause among women. Even so, breast cancer deaths fell by 1.4% each year. Dr. Andrew Chan of Massachusetts General Brigham said these gains highlight the seriousness of the colorectal cancer trend.

“We’ve made real progress against many cancers,” Chan said. “But the rise in colorectal cancer deaths among younger people is still quite remarkable.”

The increase in colorectal cancer cases alone does not fully explain the higher death rates, Chan said. Other cancers, including breast cancer and leukemia, also saw more diagnoses. Yet their death rates continued to decline. That gap worries specialists who treat the disease.

“It’s a good-news, bad-news story,” said Dr. Folasade May of UCLA. “For a colorectal cancer doctor, it’s a horror story.”

Researchers still do not know why colorectal cancer rates are rising among younger adults. About 20% of colorectal cancer cases now occur in people aged 54 or younger. That rate has doubled since 1995, according to a 2025 American Cancer Society report.

Experts point to several possible factors. These include rising obesity rates, lower physical activity, changes in gut bacteria, and diets high in ultraprocessed foods. Many of these trends became more common in the 1980s and 1990s. Still, Siegel said no single cause explains the increase.

“It’s thought that other factors are at play,” she said. “These are not the sole reasons for the rise.”

Doctors stress that early detection saves lives. Symptoms of colorectal cancer can include blood in the stool, ongoing stomach pain, and changes in bowel habits. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends routine colorectal cancer screening starting at age 45. People with a higher risk, such as those with a family history, may need screening even earlier.

“Half of the people diagnosed before age 50 are between 45 and 49,” Siegel said. “They are already eligible for screening.”

Health experts urge younger adults to take symptoms seriously and talk to a doctor without delay. As colorectal cancer deaths rise among younger Americans, awareness and early screening may prove key to reversing the trend.