Colon cancer looks different in young people — and often more aggressive, a new study found

A new study found cellular differences between colon cancer tumors in younger and older patients. Sheila Alonso/Getty Images A new study explored the differences between tumors in younger and older colon cancer patients. Younger patients sometimes had more aggressive, treatment-resistant forms of colon cancer. Staying active, cutting down on processed foods, and getting screened are good ways to lower risk. People under 50 aren't only at a higher risk of colon cancer today than they were a few decades ago. They're also developing a different, sometimes more aggressive form of it compared to older patients, scientists say. A new study published in Nature Medicine analyzed 189 tumors from colorectal cancer patients aged 29 to 94, including measurements of gene activity in more than 850,000 cancer cells. The goal was to look at how tumors varied "across the entire spectrum of age," Dr.