Today, 80% of adults younger than 60 are not being effectively screened for colorectal cancer. They now have a 50% greater chance of being diagnosed than they did in the 90s. Additionally, the rise of early-onset CRC—even in otherwise healthy young people in their 20s and 30s—is unprecedented.

This marks the 60th episode of the Precision Medicine Podcast as host Karan Cushman begins a two-part series focused on colorectal cancer with Trevor Maxwell, Founder and CEO of Man Up to Cancer. Trevor was diagnosed with CRC at age 41 and attests that it feels like we are back in the early days of breast cancer in terms of building awareness around the criticality of basic screening, yet the statistics are startling.

In this Part 1, Trevor helps us understand the facts and current trends behind the second-leading cause of death for both men and women in America today. Trevor says the numbers are alarming, noting a 1% to 3% increase in the young-onset cohort every year. The big question, he says, is “why?”.