Colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer is on the rise among people under 50.

Learn how our experts give our patients new hope by treating the disease and caring for the whole person.

Colorectal and Gastrointestinal  Cancer before 50

Share

If you or someone you care about is younger than 50 and has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer or other gastrointestinal cancers, you may be worried and confused. At Memorial Sloan Kettering, you will be cared for by doctors who understand how this disease affects you personally, and who will treat you with the most advanced surgical techniques and the best that medicine has to offer.

Our program provides coordinated care that focuses on concerns including your quality of life during and after treatment, preserving fertility, and the long-term effects of surviving cancer.

MSK’s Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer

MSK’s Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer is the first clinic of its kind in the world dedicated solely to the specific needs of people under 50 who have colorectal cancer or other gastrointestinal cancers. MSK doctors, nurses, and specialists have unparalleled expertise in surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, rehabilitation, and quality-of-life issues. We will work with you to determine the optimal treatment plan for your cancer to give you the best outcome possible.

VIDEO | 02:39
MSK’s Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer is the first clinic of its kind in the world dedicated solely to the specific needs of patients under 50. This is the story of one of those patients, Rebecca Genter Lerner, a 32-year-old diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer just weeks before her wedding day.
Video Details

Learn How to Make an Appointment at MSK

The experts at MSK’s Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer are helping raise awareness of colorectal cancer or other gastrointestinal cancers in younger people.

Learn more

MSK cares for hundreds of people with colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer under 50 each year. We are here to guide you every step of the way, so you can return to the things and people you love.

  • MSK surgeons perform more robot-assisted minimally invasive surgeries for colorectal cancer than any other institution in the country. These procedures can shorten recovery time and reduce side effects.
  • Our medical oncologists specialize in chemotherapy for colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer and can customize an approach for you. The goal is to find the best possible treatment while minimizing side effects.
  • MSK specialists can treat colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer with the latest advances, including image-guided therapies using CT and MRI imaging, radiation therapy, and biologic treatments such as immunotherapy and targeted therapies.
  • MSK has pioneered many new treatments for colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer, which are tested in clinical trials. These innovations can offer lifesaving therapies to MSK patients that may not be available anywhere else.
Meet MSK’S Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer Experts

MSK’s team of colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer experts includes specialists in a variety of fields.

Learn more

Memorial Sloan Kettering Gastroenterologist Robin Mendelsohn with patient

Gastroenterologist Robin Mendelsohn helped Katie Rich feel like herself again.

Medical oncologist Diane Reidy Lagunes

Medical oncologist Diane Reidy Lagunes believes people with colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer have the best outcomes when they receive counseling and support at the start of treatment.

Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Julio Garcia-Aguilar, the chief of the Colorectal Service, with nurses

Julio Garcia-Aguilar, Chief of the Colorectal Service, discusses treatment with team members.

The Rise in Gastrointestinal Cancers Among Younger People

Research suggests that younger people are developing more cases of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, including a woman in her early 40’s who came to MSK with advanced appendix cancer.

Learn more

Supporting You Through Treatment and Beyond

At MSK, we are committed to helping you in every way we can—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—for as long as you need us.  In addition to your treatment plan, we’re focused on helping you before, during, and after treatment with support services designed for the specific needs of people with colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer under 50.  These include:

Meet our experts in counseling and support

Learn more about improving your well-being during and after treatment

A young mother copes with colorectal cancer

Kara was diagnosed with rectal cancer at age 28 and came to MSK from her home in Oklahoma. She talks about her experiences in her own words, reflecting on treatment, her family, and her feelings about the road ahead.

Learn more

To find out what's behind the rise in colorectal and gastrointestinal cancer among people under 50, some of the potential areas we're investigating include diet, lifestyle, medications, environmental exposures, and changes in the microbiome, the community of bacteria and microbes that live in our bodies.
Robin Mendelsohn Gastroenterologist
Fast Facts about Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults
  • By 2030, cases of colorectal cancer in people under 50 are expected to nearly double. (JAMA Surgery 2015)
  • The death rate from colorectal cancer for people ages 20 to 54 rose between 2004 and 2014. Before then the death rate had been going down. (American Cancer Society)
  • Most people under 50 with colorectal cancer do not have a family history of the disease. (American Cancer Society)
  • MSK cares for more than 400 people each year who are younger than 50 with colorectal cancer.
  • Black people of all ages — including younger adults — are more likely to get colorectal cancer and to die of it than other groups.

Research

The Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancer is conducting a major research effort to understand the cause behind the rise in diagnosis in young adults. This effort involves experts from across MSK, including researchers in genetics, pathology, immunology, and epidemiology — the statistical analysis of health.

The center is currently conducting a study looking into risk factors that may be causing the rise in incidence of these cancers. If you are a current MSK patient interested in participating, please reach out to your care team or call the center directly at 212-639-3083.

Learn more

Request an Appointment

Call 800-525-2225
Available Monday through Friday, to (Eastern time)