February 19, 2026
Fewer tumors, more comment wars
Something Is Going on with Colorectal Cancer
Big drop in colon cancer, but comments clash over runners, booze, and plastics
TLDR: Colorectal cancer is way down overall—46% fewer cases and 57% fewer deaths—thanks to screening and better care. But the comments erupted over what’s driving risks now, from endurance running to drinking to microplastics, with extra worries about younger adults and a side fight over the clicky article design.
Colorectal cancer news dropped like a confetti cannon: incidence down 46% and deaths down 57%, thanks to screening (hello, colonoscopy) and earlier detection. Cue applause—and then cue the comment brawl. The thread lit up with wildly different theories and one big question: what’s happening with younger adults?
One commenter claimed there’s a “15x” risk for endurance athletes, sending marathoners into a panic while skeptics yelled “source?” Others pushed back with a CBC report saying rates are rising in younger people, even if the overall trend is down. Meanwhile, a whole faction blamed the bar cart: “Millennials are heavy drinkers,” wrote one user, pointing at craft beer and cocktails as culprits. Another camp went full modern-life horror, arguing microplastics might be part of the story and dropping a study link. The ultra-running crowd got extra heat with talk of gut damage from extreme distance—cue nervous glances at hydration packs.
And then came the UI drama: the article’s click-to-reveal format sparked a mini-revolt. Some loved the clean visuals; others groaned, “I stopped after the 4th click.” The vibe: cautious celebration for the overall progress, real worry for younger adults, and a comments section sprinting between science, speculation, and slideshow rage.
Key Points
- •Colorectal cancer incidence has declined 46% from its peak.
- •Mortality from colorectal cancer has decreased by 57%.
- •Improvements are attributed to colonoscopy screening, better treatments, and earlier detection.
- •Data are indexed to 100 at the year 1995 for comparison.
- •Trends are sourced from NCI SEER*Stat, ACS CRC Facts & Figures 2023–2025, and analyses by Siegel et al. in CA Cancer J. Clin. (2023) and JAMA (2026).