Rising Cases of Colorectal Cancer Among Young Adults
A 27-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer after being repeatedly dismissed by medical professionals. Rylie Toomey, who was in the process of planning her wedding and training for a half marathon, experienced severe abdominal pain in October 2024. She immediately went to the hospital, where doctors conducted a CT scan and told her she was just constipated before sending her home.
This pattern continued for several months, with Toomey returning for tests only to be met with the same diagnosis. It wasn’t until April of this year that she ended up in the emergency department, screaming in pain and suffering from a fever. The severity of her condition led to a new CT scan, which revealed stage four colon cancer that had spread to her liver and lungs. Toomey became one of thousands of young Americans diagnosed with colorectal cancer despite leading healthy lives.
Toomey shared her experience, stating, “When you hear, ‘You have cancer,’ you’re just like, that can’t be right. That can’t be me because leading up to this, I was so healthy.” She added, “To hear that I had colon cancer just didn’t make sense, just because you feel like colon cancer is linked to unhealthy people or people who eat unhealthy or the elderly. I just wasn’t expecting that at all.”
The American Cancer Society estimates that over 154,000 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, including about 20,000 individuals under the age of 50. While these numbers are similar to those from two decades ago, the disease is on the rise among younger groups. From 1999 to 2018, the rate of colorectal cancer in the under-50 population increased from 8.6 cases per 100,000 people to 13 cases per 100,000 people. For 20- to 34-year-olds, the number of diagnoses is expected to increase by 90 percent between 2010 and 2030, while rates for teenagers have surged by 500 percent since the early 2000s.
Various factors, such as diet, lack of exercise, and a sedentary lifestyle, have been blamed for the increase in cases. However, these reasons fail to explain why physically fit individuals like Toomey are increasingly being diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Recent studies suggest that childhood exposure to toxins released by E. coli bacteria could also play a role by triggering inflammation and altering the balance of the gut microbiome. Another study has also linked marijuana use to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, as it may block tumor-suppressing cells.
Toomey, who regularly plays lacrosse, runs, and cycles while maintaining a healthy diet, has no family history of colon cancer. Research indicates that about one in five colorectal cancer patients are diagnosed following a bowel-related emergency often caused by the tumor growing.
Currently, Toomey is undergoing chemotherapy every two weeks and receiving regular immunotherapy infusions, with eight treatments remaining. Her treatment has forced her to delay her wedding, which was originally scheduled for last month, and reschedule it for June 2026. Despite the challenges, she remains focused on staying positive, saying, “It’s definitely something that keeps me going right now. It’s kind of hard to stay positive in situations like this, but this is something that’s bringing me joy and keeping me going.”
Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help with her medical expenses. Toomey is also encouraging other young people experiencing symptoms to seek immediate medical attention and push for answers, even if doctors dismiss their concerns. She said, “I just don’t want anybody to ever go through something like this. I think this happened for a reason so I can help others.”
