Colorectal cancer cases have doubled in people between the of ages 20 and 49, which is why the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that people get their first colonoscopy screening at age 45 instead of age 50. If you have an immediate family history of colon cancer, screenings should start even sooner. Colon cancer tends to be different in younger patients. It can be very aggressive and very advanced, with a higher rate of death. It’s possible this increase is related to lifestyle factors such as poor diet, being overweight and sedentary, and maybe smoking and alcohol consumption. We still don’t know exactly why this is happening, but it’s important to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible for the best outcomes. We are also seeing higher mortality rates in patients between the ages of 45 and 50 who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer.