Are certain demographic, birth, and parental characteristics linked to an increased risk of early-onset colorectal cancer?

A recent study found that factors such as a person’s birthweight, sex, ethnicity, and father’s age may affect the risk of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer at a young age. The findings are published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

In the study of 1,221 people born and diagnosed with early-onset colorectal cancer—defined as being diagnosed before age 50—in California in 1988–2021 and 61,050 matched individuals without cancer, men had a 34% higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer compared with women. Also, Hispanic ethnicity was linked with a 43% higher risk compared with white ethnicity. Having a foreign-born mother was associated with a 15% lower risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. Among females, every 500g increase in birthweight was associated with a 10% increase in early-onset colorectal cancer risk and having a father aged 35 years or older was associated with a 56% higher risk. Investigators did not observe any links between early-onset colorectal cancer risk and other demographic, birth, and parental characteristics.

Additional research is needed to uncover potential mechanisms behind these associations.

“Evaluating demographic, birth, and parental characteristics is important in understanding what’s causing the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer,” said lead author Sunny Siddique, MPH, PhD, of the Yale School of Public Health. “Our findings warrant future studies aimed to understand the mechanisms through which factors such as male sex, Hispanic ethnicity, birthweight, maternal birthplace, and paternal age may influence risk of early onset colorectal cancer.”

Additional information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. A free abstract of this article will be available via the CANCER Newsroom upon online publication. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com

Full Citation:
“Demographic, Birth, and Parental Characteristics and the Risk of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A Population Based Nested Case-Control Study in California.” Sunny Siddique, Rong Wang, Domenica Berardi, Caroline Johnson, Joseph Wiemels, Catherine Metayer, and Xiaomei Ma. CANCER; Published Online: June 22, 2026 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.70458).
URL Upon Publication: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/cncr.70458

Author Contact: Carolina Uribe, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at the Yale School of Public Health, at carolina.uribe@yale.edu.

About the Journal     
CANCER is a peer-reviewed publication of the American Cancer Society integrating scientific information from worldwide sources for all oncologic specialties. The objective of CANCER is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of information among oncologic disciplines concerned with the etiology, course, and treatment of human cancer. CANCER is published on behalf of the American Cancer Society by Wiley and can be accessed online. Follow CANCER on X @JournalCancer, and stay up to date with the American Cancer Society Journals on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

About Wiley      
Wiley is a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation, and learning. With more than 200 years at the center of the scholarly ecosystem, Wiley combines trusted publishing heritage with AI-powered platforms to transform how knowledge is discovered, accessed, and applied. From individual researchers and students to Fortune 500 R&D teams, Wiley enables the transformation of scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact. From knowledge to impact—Wiley is redefining what's possible in science and learning. Visit us at Wiley.com and Investors.Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.