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More people under 50 are getting colorectal cancer

On Behalf of | Sep 14, 2020 | Medical Malpractice |

After lung and prostate cancer, the most common form of the disease among men is colorectal cancer. It’s also the third most common cancer in women after breast and lung cancer. What New Jersey residents should know is that colorectal cancer is being diagnosed in an increasing number of individuals who are younger than 50 years old.

The trend in greater detail

In 1989, the median age of people who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer was 72, yet it decreased to 66 in 2016. The fact is that the trend of younger people being diagnosed has been going on since the 1990s with no signs of abating.

People under the age of 50 are predicted to make up 17,930 out of the 147,950 individuals who will receive a colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2020. That amounts to 12%. Of the 53,200 colorectal cancer deaths expected to arise that same year, 3,640 (7%) will occur among people under 50 years old.

Obesity may partially explain it

The trend is not necessarily unusual since the American Cancer Society recommends that people start getting colorectal cancer screenings at age 45. Yet researchers cannot fully explain the trend. Rising obesity rates are one definite factor as one’s diet has long been known to influence intestinal health. Other issues are hard to explain, such as why Alaska natives die three times as much from colorectal deaths as do whites and twice as much as do Blacks.

Cancer misdiagnoses and malpractice law

Diagnostic errors are among the leading causes of medical malpractice claims. Perhaps you had your colorectal cancer misdiagnosed or suffered from an unreasonable delay in diagnosis. If so, you may be eligible for compensatory damages. Before the statute of limitations runs out, then, you may want a lawyer to help you file your claim. An attorney may take care of all the negotiations so that you can, hopefully, be covered for medical expenses, pain and suffering and more.

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