Colorectal Cancer Rising in Young Adults

Larry A. Law

According to data from the American Cancer Society, from 2000 to 2020, the rate of incidence of colorectal cancer decreased from 57 to 37 per 100,000 (35% decrease). However, the rate amoung young people (less than 50 years of age) increased from 6 to 8 per 100,000 (33% increase). Over the last three decades, the incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer has increased at a rate of 1-2% per year; while mortality rates have also increased by 1% per year. Today, colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men younger than 50, and it ranks second only to breast cancer in women younger that 50. 

Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

Abnormal cells in the gut lining can grow into polyps, and some polyps can become cancer after 10 to 15 years. Subsequently, they can metastasize to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body. The large intestine is the final part of the digestive system. The first five feet are called the colon and the last six inches are the rectum which connects to the anus. Colon and rectal cancer are often grouped together as 'colorectal cancer' because they share many common features. 

Early-onset colorectal cancer is a bit diffferent from other colorectal cancers. It is more likely to occur in the lowest part of the colon and rectum. Patients tend to have symptoms like rectal bleeding and change in bowel habits. Tumor cells in this type of cancer tend to be more aggressive. Among patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer between the ages of 20 and 49, there is a larger and faster-growing proportion of patients (compared to older adults) with cancer that has already metastasized. 47% have cancer that has spread locally at the time of diagnosis, while 27% have distant metastases. Many young people are misdiagnosed or have their symptoms overlooked because doctors are not thinking about cancer in people who are in their 20s and 30s. By the time they are diagnosed, it is often in the late stages. Early-onset colorectal cancer averages 271 days from symptoms to diagnosis. By then, nearly half of the patients' cancer had already metastasized. 

Causes

Only 5% of all colorectal cancer is linked to obesity. Research indicates the following factors correlating with the increased risk of colorectal cancer:

• Widespread use of antibiotics in children
• Highly processed foods
• High consumption of sugar, including sweetened beverages and high-fructose corn syrup
• Widespread use of food additives like MSG, titanium dioxide, and synthetic food dyes
• Cesarean section births versus natural births
• Infant formula replacing breast milk
• Increased maternal age at first and last childbirth
• Abdominal radiation from medical diagnostic equipment

Nearly one-third of patients with early-onset colorectal cancers have a family history or genetic predisposition. However, there is another factor that is more important than genetics—epigenetics. Epigenetic factors act on the surface of genes like keys to a treasure chest, either activating or silencing genes. For instance, when a cancer-suppressing gene is turned off, tumors can grow uncontrollably. A healthy diet and good lifestyle habits can keep cancer-suppressing genes activated and cancer-promoting genes deactivated, while unhealthy habits can have the opposite effect. So, epigenetics represents real hope!

COVID-19 Vaccine

​Dr. Sabine Hazan, founder and CEO of ProgenaBiome and a gastroenterologist, found that patients with COVID-19 showed a loss of Bifidobacteria in their feces. She and her colleagues published a study in the September 2022 issue of the British Medical Journal Open Gastroenterology. There they reported this and also suggesting that those exposed to, but never infected with the virus, had a large amount of Bifidobacteria (see image below). She said that there is a “complete loss of Bifidobacteria in severe COVID patients, in long-haulers and the vaccine-injured.”

The loss of Bifidobacteria has also been observed in cases of invasive cancer.“ Loss of Bifidobacteria definitely predisposes young people to have, in my opinion, possibly colon cancer,” she said. Unfortunately, once a particular strain of bacteria disappears, it is difficult to restore. Dr. Hazan explained that in most cases, orally ingested probiotics do not reach the gut, but are killed by stomach acid. Some compounds in probiotics can kill Bifidobacteria. “I like to think of loss of Bifidobacteria like a garden with no fruit trees. You destroyed a whole garden, and now, you are trying to regrow it. Unfortunately, if you have a storm, seeds you planted will not grow,” Dr. Hazan said. Therefore, preserving them from the start and preventing any potential factors that could kill them is best.

Colonoscopy

With the growing risk of colorectal cancer among the young, in 2018, the American Cancer Society recommended lowering the age for screening to 45 from 50. Among early-onset colorectal cancer patients, about 44% fall between the ages of 45 and 49.

On the other end, a recent cross-sectional study suggested that surveillance colonoscopy may be riskier than it's worth for adults age 70 and older. In the study, only 0.3% of colonoscopies conducted on adults age 70 to 85 detected cancer. Authors noted that the potential harms and burdens of colonoscopy increase with age. Combined with the low rate of cancer detection, surveillance did not appear prudent for older adults.

Outstanding Interview

See this incredible interview between Tucker Carlson and Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong on the exponential rise in all cancers affecting younger patients. The interview was recorded last week and explains how COVID-19 and the COVID-19 'vaccines' cause suppression of the immune system, leading to chronic inflammation and eventually cancer. Oncology, virology and immunology are three separate fields that look at cancer very differently. It turns out that immunology (strengthening the immune system) is the key to fighting cancer. Dr. Soon-Shiong has developed a BioShield immunotherapy product which works to strengthen cancer-fighting T-cells and natural killer cells, reducing and/or eliminating the need for high-dose chemotherapy. Please take the time to listen and become aware of how cancer develops and the tools that can be utilized to fight it—awesome discussion!