When they diagnose colorectal cancer in people younger than 50 years, doctors generally refer to it as young-onset colorectal cancer. While others have already suggested that prolonged sitting while viewing TV could be a risk factor for colorectal cancer, they have not looked specifically at young-onset colorectal cancer. The researchers behind the new study note that young-onset colorectal cancer is usually more aggressive than colorectal cancer that strikes later in life and is likely to have some distinct biological features. During a 22-year follow-up period, 118 of the women received a diagnosis of young-onset colorectal cancer. “We found that increased TV viewing time was statistically significantly associated with risk of young-onset [colorectal cancer], particularly rectal cancer,” note the authors.

Source: The Guardian February 13, 2019 05:03 UTC