Between 1990 and 2016, the number of young adults in Europe diagnosed with colorectal cancer tripled, but the number of deaths from the disease did not rise, suggesting that earlier diagnosis or better treatments may have prevented more deaths.

Between 2004 and 2016, the number of new colorectal cancer cases in adults aged 40 to 49 in Europe rose by 1.6% each year after a period of decline, suggesting a pattern that matches trends seen in younger generations.

Between 1999 and 2020, the number of deaths from colorectal cancer among U.S. adults aged 25 to 44 rose slightly, from 2.1 to 2.6 deaths per 10,000 people, after accounting for changes in age distribution.

Since 2004, the number of deaths from colorectal cancer has risen by 1% each year among people under 50 in the United States, even as deaths from this cancer have decreased in older adults. This suggests that more younger people are being diagnosed and dying from the disease.

Between 2005 and 2016, colorectal cancer became more common each year among people in their 30s in Europe, and these individuals were diagnosed at older ages than people in their 20s, suggesting that environmental or lifestyle factors affecting younger generations began influencing their health earlier in life.

Between 2000 and 2022, the number of deaths from colorectal cancer in people aged 20 to 44 rose slightly each year, while death rates in people aged 45 to 54 stayed about the same, suggesting that younger adults are dying from this cancer at a higher rate than before.