Anonymous22 days ago
Colorectal cancer has risen from the fifth leading cause of cancer death among Americans under 50 in the early 1990s to the first in 2023, even as overall cancer mortality in this age group declined 44%. Driven by a troubling combination of late-stage diagnoses, lifestyle changes, and environmental exposures — including ultra-processed foods and microplastics — the trend has arrived seven years earlier than researchers projected, prompting urgent calls for expanded screening, research funding, and public awareness.