Colon Cancer: Should Young People Worry?

March 19, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Becca Lynch, a fit 29-year-old from Colorado who ran half-marathons and played live music, noticed frequent bowel movements—five to six times a day—with dark, mucusy blood and pencil-thin stools. After delaying due to vague Google results like IBS or colitis, an Instagram video about colon cancer prompted her to seek a colonoscopy. She awoke from the procedure to learn of a 5-centimeter "lemon-sized" mass; genetic tests found no clear risk factors, confirming stage three colorectal cancer.

The Rise in Younger Cases

Colorectal cancer (including colon and rectal) cases in people under 55 have shifted from one in 10 diagnoses decades ago to one in five today in the US, with rates rising across generations. A 40-year-old millennial now faces two to three times the risk of a 40-year-old boomer. It's the leading cancer killer for under-50s, causing nearly 4,000 deaths yearly. High-profile cases like Chadwick Boseman (43) and James Van Der Beek (48) highlight the trend, though absolute risk under 50 remains below 1%. Older adults' rates are dropping due to routine screening catching precancerous polyps.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Becca's Introduction** - Host introduces 30-year-old Becca Lynch, active and healthy until symptoms at 28
2 (00:45) **Becca Notices Symptoms** - Frequent bowel movements, blood, thin stools prompt Googling and delay
3 (01:46) **Social Media Spurs Action** - Instagram video of young woman's stage four cancer pushes Becca to doctor
4 (02:53) **Diagnosis Revealed** - Wakes from colonoscopy to news of 5cm mass, likely cancer, youngest case for doctor
5 (04:53) **Rising Rates in Young Adults** - One in five US diagnoses under 55, up from one in ten; later stages common
6 (07:25) **High-Profile Cases and Context** - Chadwick Boseman (43), James Van Der Beek (48) highlight trend
7 (10:27) **Later-Stage Diagnoses Explained** - Over half early-onset cases stage 3-4; 80% five-year death risk at stage 4

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Show Notes

Colorectal cancer has long been thought of as a disease of older folks. But that's changing — fast. Rates in older people are actually going down, and more and more people under 50 are getting this disease. And a surprising number of them are dying from it. So what’s going on here? We dig into why young people are getting hit harder. Plus, we often hear that you should watch out for changes in your poo. But what changes?? We’ll find out. We talk to gastrointestinal medical oncologist Dr. Michael Foote and cancer biologist Prof. Ludmil Alexandrov.

Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsColonCancer

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Becca’s story

(05:52) What the rise looks like

(09:06) Is there something different about this cancer?

(14:13) What symptoms to look out for

(17:41) Why is this happening?

(21:34) The hunt for explanations

This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko-Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord and Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger and Peter Leonard. And thank you to Prof. Caitlin Murphy.

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