Rectal Cancer Deaths Rise Faster in US Adults Under 45

A new study reveals that deaths from rectal cancer are rising at an accelerated pace among adults under 45 in the United States, particularly older millennials aged 35 to 44, outstripping increases in colon cancer mortality and projecting continued growth through 2035 if current trends persist. The findings, drawn from an analysis of national death records, highlight the need for heightened awareness and earlier medical intervention among younger patients.

Researchers examined U.S. death certificates from 1999 to 2023 for individuals aged 20 to 44, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WONDER database. They calculated annual mortality rate changes by factors including sex, race, ethnicity, region, and age group, then applied an ARIMA machine learning model to forecast future patterns. The analysis showed rectal cancer deaths increasing two to three times faster than colon cancer deaths across all demographics studied. For adults aged 35 to 44, rectal cancer mortality is expected to climb steadily through 2035, while colon cancer rates in the group rise more gradually.

The steepest increases occurred among Hispanic adults and those in Western states....