A study by the American Cancer Society has found that deaths from rectal cancer are increasing among younger adults in their 30s and 40s, a trend that researchers say is not fully understood. The study found that colorectal cancers, once more common in older adults, are increasingly diagnosed in younger people and often more advanced at detection. In Rhode Island, 30.3 in 100,000 people were diagnosed from 2018 to 2022, death rates from 2019 to 2023 were 10.8 in 100.8. The findings suggest that rectal cancers could surpass colon ones by 2035. The reasons for the rise in younger adults are unclear, with researchers suggesting possible links to diet, obesity, environmental exposures and lifestyle factors.