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Adolescents With Colorectal Cancer Are Often Diagnosed at Advanced Stages

Colorectal cancer rarely develops in adolescents, but when it does, it is often diagnosed at advanced stages, according to a study presented at the 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition. Researchers reviewed medical records of people ages 21 and younger diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 2012 and 2023 at 34 institutions participating in the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative. Among the 84 people included in the analysis, 80% were diagnosed at stage III or IV, meaning the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes or distant parts of the body. The most common symptoms were similar to those associated with less serious conditions: 74% reported back or abdominal pain, 45% had changes in bowel habits, and 43% had weight loss, NBC News reported. “The adolescent and the youngest of the young adults are at particular risk for bad outcomes and are a unique and vulnerable population even compared to people in their 30s and 40s,” Danielle Cameron, a pediatric surgeon at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute in Boston who worked on the study, told NBC News. She also noted that colorectal cancer cases are rare among adolescents and young adults, but NBC News reported that experts are noticing that rates appear to be on the rise.

Many Cancer Cases Are Linked to Infections, Can Be Prevented

About 1 in 8 new cancer cases worldwide is attributable to an infection, and many of these cancers can be prevented by vaccines, treatment or screening, according to a study published in the Lancet Oncology. Researchers estimated that, globally, 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024 were caused by infections with cancer-causing pathogens, accounting for 12% of all new cancer diagnoses that year. The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) can cause stomach cancer, while human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cervical cancer, as well as cancers of the throat, mouth, penis and anus, among others. They account for most infection-related cancers, totaling 1.5 million cases between them, CNN reported. Vaccines can prevent HPV and hepatitis B infections, and testing and treatment for H. pylori and hepatitis C can reduce the risk of developing cancers associated with those infections. Also, screening for cervical precancers can help prevent HPV-related cervical cancer. Most people who acquire these infections do not develop cancer, and the risk depends on whether the infection persists and other health factors, experts stressed. Researchers say expanding access to appropriate screening and care and educating people about the importance of vaccination may help prevent many infection-related cancers, CNN reported. “This is no different than getting your flu shot to prevent the flu. The public needs to be made aware, and vaccination should be reinforced,” Nancy Lee, a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City who was not involved in the study, told CNN.

BTK Inhibitor Approval Expanded to First-line Treatment in Leukemia, Lymphoma

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a targeted therapy for adults with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) with no known 17p deletion, a genetic abnormality in cancer cells associated with poorer outcomes. Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) is a Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor that in 2025 received FDA approval to treat relapsed or refractory CLL or SLL after other treatments, including another BTK inhibitor. Unlike other approved BTK inhibitors, Jaypirca is noncovalent, which means it binds to its targets differently than other approved BTK inhibitors and may be effective against treatment resistance, Medscape reported. The FDA based its approval on results from a phase III clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study included 282 people with untreated CLL or SLL who received either Jaypirca or a regimen using the chemotherapy bendamustine and an immunotherapy called rituximab. At two years, an estimated 93.4% of people receiving Jaypirca were alive without cancer progression, compared with 70.7% of those receiving chemoimmunotherapy. Common side effects of Jaypirca include upper respiratory tract infections, rash and decreased white blood cell counts, with about 28% of those receiving the treatment having a serious adverse reaction that required medical attention. “Doctors can now consider pirtobrutinib for appropriate patients when initial therapy is needed, not just later in a patient’s treatment journey,” Jennifer Woyach, a hematologist at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center in Colombus, said in a press release from the drug’s manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Co.