Dana-Farber launches one of the first colorectal cancer centers for young patients

Amid a rapid increase in cases of young-onset colorectal cancer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston is launching one of the first centers to tackle the disease specifically in patients aged 50 and younger. According to the National Cancer Institute, rates of colorectal cancer in this age group have risen nearly 50 percent in the last two decades. And the American Cancer Society now recommends that colorectal screening start at age 45 instead of 50. But the problem is likely to get worse. “By the year 2030, colon cancer is estimated to rise 90 percent and rectal cancer to rise by a staggering 124 percent in these young patients,” Dr. Kimmie Ng, who will direct the new center, said in a statement.