(NationalUSNews.com) — According to a new report from the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the most fatal cancer for men aged under 50 and the second deadliest cancer for women in the same age demographic. Breast cancer remains the most lethal form of cancer for mature women, but some medical experts believe colon cancer could surpass breast cancer in terms of lethality due to an increase in cases over the past few years. Over the past 20 years, colon cancer has become an increasingly common medical affliction and is almost as deadly as lung cancer.
Lung cancer remains the deadliest form of cancer for every age group, with colon cancer being the third most fatal form of cancer for both genders in general. For men, the second deadliest form of cancer amongst all age groups is prostate cancer, with breast cancer being the second most lethal form of cancer across all women age groups. Another reason for colon cancer’s increase in prevalence is the overall decrease in cancer deaths over the past two years, which accompanies a reduction in cancer rates among the elderly.
The past two decades saw the decline of cancer prevalence among elderly citizens from 61 to 58 percent, despite the population of that age group growing from 13 to 17 percent of the total United States population. Despite the decline in cancer amongst the elderly, cancer rates for younger members of the population are on the rise, with an increase from 25 to 30 percent. Breast and endometrial cancers, as well as cancers affecting the mouth and throat, are also on the rise.
According to Dr. Kimmie Ng, the Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s director, oncologists nationwide have noticed more and more younger patients arriving for cancer treatment. Ng claims the American Cancer Society’s report confirms what other medical practitioners already believed: cancer is becoming more common among younger members of the population. An official from the American Cancer Society also acknowledged the growing cancer rates amongst younger Americans and identified a potential cause for the increase in colon cancer’s lethality.
Dr. William Dahut discussed the prevalence of colon cancer, citing the difficulty of treating the disease as the primary reason behind the increase in colon cancer mortality rates. Dahut also claims that cancer tends to be more aggressive in younger patients, another potential cause for the rise in colon cancer-related deaths.
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