SAN DIEGO — Rates of advanced stage colorectal cancer are climbing in young patients, marking a need for increased vigilance, according to data presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 National Conference & Exhibition Oct. 2-6, 2026, at the San Diego Convention Center.
The research, "Clinical Presentation and Epidemiology of Pediatric and Adolescent Colorectal Carcinoma: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative Study," retrospectively examined the medical files of 84 patients 21 years or younger who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 2012 and 2023. Data showed that while only 20% of those diagnosed had first- or second-degree family history of colorectal cancer, most patients had aggressive forms of the disease, either at Stage III or IV.
The authors state that the research further emphasizes concerns about the growing rates of colorectal cancer in young people along with the advanced stage of disease at presentation. Signs and symptoms such as lower back and abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, weight loss, and rectal bleeding are often overlooked due to low rates of this type of cancer in young people.
"Colorectal cancer is, unfortunately, becoming more common in adolescents and young adults and represents a different disease than colorectal cancer diagnosed in older adults," said study author and pediatric surgery research fellow Erica Arnold, MD. "When diagnosed, it is often aggressive, presenting with late-stage disease and associated with high rates of disease relapse and mortality."
Researchers found that these delays in diagnosis, on top of the aggressive tumor behavior, ultimately can lead to poor long-term outcomes. Over a third of the patients studied developed recurrent disease and nearly half died as a result of their diagnosis.
The authors emphasize serious consideration of symptoms like unexplained weight loss or rectal bleeding when present in younger patients. As early-onset adult cancers are seen in younger and younger patients, the logistical considerations of adult and pediatric care teams and carefully tailored treatment regimens are paramount.
