Rises and Advancements in Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is no longer just a disease of older adults—and the data is raising alarm bells.
On this episode of The Vitals, host Leslie Schlachter sits down with the Mount Sinai Health System’s leading experts to unpack why rates are rising, especially among younger populations, and what you need to know right now.
Joining the conversation are gastroenterologists Dr. David Greenwald and Dr. Pascale White, along with medical oncologist Dr. Deirdre Cohen. Together, they explore the latest research, evolving screening guidelines, and breakthrough treatments that are changing outcomes for patients.
Leslie Schlachter: Hello, and welcome back to The Vitals, the Mount Sinai Health Systems podcast exploring the people and innovations advancing medicine today. I'm your host, Leslie Schlachter, a neurosurgery physician assistant here at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Today, we discuss the rising rates of colorectal cancer, particularly among younger adults.
It's an issue that's received increasing attention in recent news and in the medical community. Colorectal cancer was once thought as primarily a disease affecting older adults, but historic numbers of patients are finding themselves with a diagnosis in their 30s and 40s, and sometimes even younger.
Today, we'll talk about why that might be happening, what symptoms people should pay attention to, when to seek screening, and what happens if a screening test reveals something concerning. To guide us through this, we're joined by three of Mount Sinai's experts, Doctors David Greenwald and Dr. Pascal White, who are both gastroenterologists, and Dr. Deirdre Cohen, who is a medical oncologist treating colorectal cancer. Thank you so much for joining us. Welcome.
Okay, so we've been hearing lately that colorectal cancer has been affecting younger patients. Um, I mean, I've seen it in the news like Instagram and TikTok, but, like, what trends are you guys seeing in your practice? Are you also seeing it in younger patients?
Pascale White: Absolutely. I think the one thing that really struck me in the past couple of months is the new ar- JAMA article that came out that said, uh, colorectal cancer is now the number one cancer-related death in patients under 50 in the United States of America.