Inflammatory bowel diseases significantly increase the risk of colon and rectal cancer in people under 50 years of age. Even a single inflammation of the large intestine is dangerous. However, in people who suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, this risk is up to six times higher.
“Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have a higher risk of early colon and rectal cancer than the rest of the population. Research from Sweden shows that this disease leads to a sixfold increase in diagnoses. The main theory is that persistent inflammation in the intestines triggers the development of cancer,” says Professor Sarah Berry from the University of London.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It damages the lining of the intestines and increases the likelihood of tumors. In 2023, Swedish researchers found that patients with IBD have an almost 600 percent higher risk of an earlier form of the disease. Their risk is therefore six times higher than that of a healthy individual.
People under the age of 50 today have a fifty percent higher risk of colon and rectal cancer than their peers did in the early 1990s. Symptoms include persistent changes in bowel movements, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss.
