A new study shared with the American Academy of Pediatrics shows a growing number of adolescents aged 21 or younger being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Between 2012 and 2023, 84 young individuals in this age group received treatment for serious digestive cancer, with nearly half (51%) diagnosed at stage III and nearly a third (29%) at stage IV. Colorectal cancer, which is typically linked with older adults, is now increasingly being found in younger people. The research was conducted by a group of pediatric hospitals and involved reviewing the medical records of 84 patients aged 21 or younger who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 2012 and 2023. These patients were treated at 34 North American hospitals that are part of the "Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative" network. The average age of diagnosis was 16.5 years, and only 20.2% of the patients had a close family member who had also been affected by the disease. Erica Arnold, the lead researcher of the study, said that colorectal cancer is becoming more common in adolescents and young adults and that it differs from the disease seen in older individuals. When diagnosed, it tends to be more aggressive, often appears at a later stage, and is associated with higher rates of the cancer returning or being fatal. The study found that common symptoms among the young patients included lower back or abdominal pain in 73.8% of the cases, changes in bowel habits in 45.2%, weight loss in 42.9%, and rectal bleeding in 38.1%. These symptoms are often mistaken for less serious conditions during adolescence, but they may be signs of colorectal cancer.