While the number of colon cancer cases have gone down for people in their 50s and 60s due to more preventative measures, they’ve gone up among younger adults.

Colon cancer cases in people under 55 increased from 11% to 20% from 1995 to 2019, according to a report released in March by the American Cancer Society.

“The takeaway from the trend is that maybe we need to be doing something more proactive to identify these patients and cases while we’re still figuring out what the ‘why’ is,” said Dr. Joseph Jennings, a gastroenterologist at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital.

He said it’s important to look out for symptoms like rectal bleeding, abdominal pain or ongoing diarrhea.

“When you notice those symptoms, it could be a lot of things that are not cancer, but we’re going to be a lot more thorough,” he stressed, adding the importance of having a conversation with your primary care doctor or a specialist. “We’ll help you figure out what you need to get done.”

Colonoscopies are recommended for people 45 and older, an important step that Dr. Jennings said could save lives.

“Even if your GI health is great, you should do something to figure out what your risk for colon cancer is,” said Dr. Jennings.