"Cancer"; just reading or saying the word can be immediately disturbing. It is a deadly disease that affects us all in one way or another. CNN reports that an "American Cancer Society report projects that there will be about 2 million new cancer cases in the United States this year, equivalent to more than 5,000 diagnoses each day." As we are reminded by a recent City of Hope report, cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the U.S.

According to the American Cancer Society report, overall, the number of people dying from cancer in the U.S. is decreasing, "but the incidence rates for several types of cancer — including breast, prostate, uterine corpus, pancreas, oropharynx, liver in women, kidney, melanoma, and colorectal and cervical in young adults — remain on the rise," according to CNN.

In a January report, CNN's Jacqueline Howard writes that though "cancer deaths continued to fall in the United States through 2021, leading to an overall drop of 33% since 1991," the drop was largely attributed to "fewer people smoking, more people detecting cancer early and major improvements in treatments for cancer."

As reported by The New York Times, at the same time a new and disturbing trend has been emerging. A new scientific review reveals that "colorectal cancer rates are rapidly rising among adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s," while rates among older adults have declined. Study findings show that "millennials born around 1990 are at almost twice the risk of colon cancer compared with people born in the 1950s."

"Colorectal cancer has long been associated with obesity, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, high alcohol intake and diets that are rich in red meat, processed food and sugary drinks," writes Times reporter Roni Caryn Rabin. "New research exploring the rapid rise in colorectal cancer in younger adults is examining other possible causes, including environmental exposures, changes in gut bacteria and the use of some medications." Doctors also may be missing the warning signs, she adds.

"As a nation, we've dropped the ball on cancer prevention as incidence continues to increase for many common cancers," says Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society.

"We're seeing a movement of cancer diagnosis into younger folks, despite the fact that there are more people that are in the older populations," said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society. "It's just different now than it used to be," he adds. "This young adult trend is the thing that has me scratching my head the most."

"It's recommended that all adults start screening for colon and rectal cancers at age 45," CNN reports, but as more cases are emerging among people at even younger ages, early detection might be missed.

Dr. Scott Kopetz of the Anderson Cancer Center in Houston tells CNN that he believes cancer incidence among younger adults has been "poorly understood." He sees the American Cancer Society report as "a call to arms to really better understand the changing epidemiology of cancer."

"Among adults younger than 50, colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second-leading cause in women, behind breast cancer, the new report says," according to CNN. "In the late 1990s, it ranked fourth in both men and women younger than 50."

So, if you are in this new category, what are you to do?

"In recent years, one of the most provocative questions in cancer research has been whether a regular exercise habit can prevent certain cancers from taking hold,"

reports the Times' Talya Minsberg. The answer is complicated.

"According to a 2021 study, for instance, if all adults in the United States were to meet the physical activity guidelines, cancer diagnoses could drop by 3 percent, or 46,000 cases, every year," writes Minsberg. "The results clearly showed a link between physical activity and a reduced prostate cancer risk. ... This adds to a growing understanding of how important of exercise is for the prevention of cancer more generally."

"We know even a single bout of exercise helps our body release immune cells in our circulation," explains Neil M. Iyengar, a medical oncologist and physician scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. As to the most effective type of exercise, researchers are not so sure.

States Dr. Kate Bolam of the Department of Physical Activity and Health with the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences in Stockholm and a co-author of one study on the subject, "Everyone has a chance to do something that's really cost efficient here to decrease their risk of prostate cancer. And that's something that is wholly in our control."

"Find an activity that is enjoyable, and get moving," both Bolam and Iyengar advise, according to Minsberg. "That could be playing with children or grandchildren, going for a walk or joining a recreational sports league. Consistency is key, they said which is why it's important to find activity that doesn't feel like a chore."

It is also important that we not lose sight of the importance of early detection and diagnosis. As the medical journal The Lancet points out, "People diagnosed earlier with cancer are not only more likely to survive, but importantly also to have better experiences of care, lower treatment morbidity, and improved quality of life compared with those diagnosed late."

Let us hope the news of rapidly rising rates of colon cancer in adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s becomes a needed wakeup call for not just this at-risk population but medical practitioners, as well.

Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook's "Official Chuck Norris Page." He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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