Rectal cancer is on the rise. Here's how it's affecting young people.

After decades of decline, rectal cancer is rising in all adult age groups, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. What's extra notable is how it's impacting rates in younger people.

In the study, published Monday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, researchers found rectal cancer incidence increased by 1% per year from 2018 to 2022.

And among all colorectal cancer diagnoses (which include both colon and rectal cancer), rectal cancer now accounts for about 1/3, which is up from about 1/4 in the mid-2000s.

These rectal cancer increases are also driving numbers of overall colorectal cancer in adults under 65, the report found.

More specifically, researchers said colorectal cancer incidence is rising 3% per year in people 20 to 49 and 0.4% in those 50 to 64.