Colon Cancer: Should Young People Worry?

Colon Cancer: Should Young People Worry?

From Science Vs by Spotify Studios

March 19, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the rising rates of colorectal cancer among young people and the symptoms to watch for.

Colorectal cancer has long been thought of as a disease of older folks. But that's changing — fast. Rates in older people are actually going down, and more and more people under 50 are getting this disease. And a surprising number of them are dying from it. So what’s going on here? We dig into why young people are getting hit harder. Plus, we often hear that you should watch out for changes in your poo. But what changes?? We’ll find out. We talk to gastrointestinal medical oncologist Dr. Michael Foote and cancer biologist Prof. Ludmil Alexandrov. Find our transcript here: https://tinyurl.com/ScienceVsColonCancer In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Becca’s story (05:52) What the rise looks like (09:06) Is there something different about this cancer? (14:13) What symptoms to look out for (17:41) Why is this happening? (21:34) The hunt for explanations This episode was produced by Michelle Dang, with help from Rose Rimler, Meryl Horn and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. Wendy Zukerman is our executive producer. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Fact checking by Erica Akiko-Howard. Mix and sound design by Bobby Lord and Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Bobby Lord, Bumi Hidaka, So Wylie, Emma Munger…

People in this episode

Hosts: Wendy Zukerman, Bobby Lord

Guests: Dr. Michael Foote, Prof. Ludmil Alexandrov

Topics covered

  • colorectal cancer
  • young people
  • symptoms
  • medical research
  • health awareness

Keywords

  • colon cancer
  • young adults
  • health
  • symptoms
  • medical oncology
  • cancer biology

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