Deaths from one type of cancer are surging among younger adults without college degrees

Colorectal cancer, once considered a disease of older age, is becoming a crisis for younger adults. New research shows one group getting hit the hardest – those without a college degree.

A recent study from the American Cancer Society analyzed data from over 101,000 adults aged 25 to 49 who died from colorectal cancer between 1994 and 2023.

While death rates remained stable for college graduates, they climbed significantly for those without a bachelor’s degree, the findings showed.

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For young adults with a high school education or less, the mortality rate rose from 4.0 to 5.2 per 100,000 people, while the rate for those with at least a bachelor’s degree stayed flat, at approximately 2.7 per 100,000.

This does not mean that a degree offers some kind of biological protection, researchers cautioned.

The difference is likely driven by the conditions in which people live and work, which often correlate with education levels, the researchers noted.

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The study suggests that the higher death rates are likely driven by differences in the prevalence of risk factors, including obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and diet, which are "known to be elevated among children and young adults with lower [socioeconomic status]."

Because the study relied on death certificates, researchers couldn't say exactly why college graduates had better outcomes.

Certificates typically list the cause of death, age, race and education level, but they do not include a person’s full medical history.

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Because the researchers didn't have the patients' actual medical records, they couldn't see things like frequency of screenings or treatment options, which would impact survival outcomes.

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Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 and the second leading cause for women in the same age group, according to recent statistics.

Because the disease is highly treatable when caught early, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lowered the recommended screening age from 50 to 45 in 2021.

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Common signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer can include a change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days, according to the American Cancer Society.

Other signs that warrant seeing a doctor include blood in the stool or a persistent feeling of needing to go to the bathroom but being unable to go.

The research was published in JAMA Oncology.

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Common ear conditions tied to rising dementia risk in new study: 'Strong association'

Common and treatable ear conditions may be associated with a higher risk of dementia, according to new research.

A study from Columbia University investigated how middle-ear problems that may cause conductive hearing loss are linked to the brain disorder.

The research, published in the Journal of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, analyzed a large dataset from the National Institutes of Health, including more than 300,000 U.S. adults.

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The study focused on three hearing loss conditions: cholesteatoma (an abnormal skin growth in the middle ear), eardrum perforation (a hole in the eardrum), and otosclerosis (abnormal bone changes in the middle ear), according to a press release.

After comparing dementia diagnoses in people with these conditions, the researchers found that cholesteatoma was linked to 1.77 times the odds of the cognitive disorder, and eardrum perforation was linked to more than twice the risk.

Otosclerosis was not found to be significantly associated with dementia.

Dementia risk associated with cholesteatoma and eardrum perforation slightly decreased when surgical treatment was performed, according to the study.

These findings add to existing evidence that "cognition is impacted by sensory deprivation," but also suggest that some of the causes are treatable, which could reduce dementia risk, the authors wrote.

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The study was observational in design, meaning it shows an association between ear conditions and dementia, but cannot prove that one causes the other.

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel noted that dementia is not the cause of hearing loss, but that there appears to be a "strong association the other way around."

Siegel noted that these findings coincide with previous evidence revealing that the more a person is "engaged in the world" socially, the less likely they are to develop dementia.

"It's almost as if the brain is a social muscle that needs to be exercised," the doctor, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. "Without the ability to hear, you are more shut off from the world and more likely to develop dementia as a result."

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Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.

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Cancer tied to woman's vaping habit since age 15 as she's now given just months to live

A young woman who started vaping at the age of 15 has been given just 18 months to live — after being diagnosed with lung cancer in her early 20s. 

Kayley Boda, 22, of Manchester, in the United Kingdom, was engaging in heavy vaping on a regular basis when she started coughing up a brown substance with "grainy bits" in it in January 2025, news agency SWNS reported. 

The retail assistant said doctors turned her away eight times, telling her she had a chest infection — until she began coughing up blood.    

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After seven biopsies, Boda was diagnosed with lung cancer. She underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy — and in February 2026, got the all-clear, the same source reported.

Two months later, though, doctors said the cancer had come back in the pleural lining. Now she's been given 18 months to live.

The young woman has now issued a warning to others to be aware of the dangers of vaping.

Boda said she smoked a bit as a young teenager. She took up vaping after that. 

Then, "a few months after I switched from reusable vapes to disposable ones, I started coughing up brown, grainy mucus," as SWNS reported.

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"Doctors turned me away eight times with a chest infection. ... Then I started coughing up blood, so they did an X-ray and found a shadow on my lung," she added.

"They told me they were 99% sure, [since I was] so young, that it wasn't cancer, so not to worry about it. When I got the results back, and they told me it was lung cancer, it felt so surreal."

Boda said she was "very naive" before her diagnosis and thought that "something like this would never happen to me."

She said that she had surgery to remove half of her right lung.

"After the surgery, I started chemo and I had a terrible reaction to it. I couldn't lift my head up. I was throwing up blood. I was urinating blood. I couldn’t eat. I couldn't sleep."

VACATION HOT SPOT CRACKS DOWN ON VAPING WITH JAIL THREATS AND HEFTY FINES

She said that when she got the "all clear [in Feb. 2026], it felt amazing, but just two months later I was told the cancer had come back, and I have 18 months to live."

She added, "I’m 22. This isn’t meant to happen to somebody my age."

She blames her cancer on vaping, she said.  

"My symptoms started a few months after I started disposable vapes, and there’s no lung cancer in my family," she said. "I haven’t vaped for three months, I’ve made my partner stop, I’ve made my mom stop, I’m urging all my friends to stop. Stay off the vapes," she continued, "because they will catch up with you."  

She said she'd been using reusable vapes since the age of 15 and began using disposable vapes a few months before her cancer symptoms started.

DISPOSABLE VAPES MORE TOXIC AND CARCINOGENIC THAN CIGARETTES, STUDY SHOWS

In November 2024, when she developed a rash all over her body, doctors said it could have been due to shingles, chicken pox or scabies, she told SWNS.    

"I got treated for all three, and nothing worked," Boda said. "It got to the point where I was cutting myself from scratching so hard." 

A few months after that, she began coughing up a dark brown mucus, with "grainy bits, the consistency of sugar, in it," she said. When the coughing continued, she visited the doctor's office, but was told it could be scarring from pneumonia or a chest infection, she also said.    

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It wasn't until March 2025 that she began coughing up bright red blood. At that point, doctors gave her a chest X-ray and told her they'd found a shadow on her lower right lung.    

Over the next four months, she had seven biopsies as doctors took samples from the "shadow." In August, when she went to get the results, she was told she had stage one lung cancer.

In September 2025, she had surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, and the surrounding lymph nodes. During the surgery, doctors upstaged her cancer from stage one to stage three after finding cancer in six surrounding lymph nodes, she said.  

Following the surgery, Boda was unable to breathe properly and had to learn to walk all over again.  

After finishing chemotherapy in February 2026, Kayley was given the all clear, leaving her feeling elated. 

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However, just a month after that, she began experiencing extreme chest pains and was told by doctors she had a pleural effusion — a build-up of fluid in the lungs. She had the fluid removed, but when doctors tested it, they discovered her cancer had returned to the pleural lining of her lungs, giving her 18 months to live.  

"The oncologist said this is so rare, and usually something they see in patients that are 80 years old," she said, as SWNS reported.  

Boda claimed that doctors were unable to pin her cancer to a specific cause — but told her that smoking and vaping definitely didn’t help.

Since her diagnosis, she has stopped and is urging others to stop, too.    

She's hoping to raise the thousands of dollars needed for treatment to try to prolong her life, she said.  

Last year, Fox News Digital reported on the case of a Pennsylvania woman, 26, who said she vaped for just one year before her lungs collapsed. She was 22 when she took up the habit, she said in an interview. 

"Everybody warned me about it, but I didn't listen — I wish that I did," she said.

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Dr. David Campbell, clinical director and program director at Recover Together Bend in Oregon, told Fox News Digital at that time that signs of collapsed lungs include sharp chest or shoulder pain, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.

Lung issues are just one of the many health issues linked to vaping, he warned. The habit can also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as exposure to harmful heavy metals.

Melissa Rudy of Fox News Digital contributed reporting. 

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High salt intake linked to faster memory decline in one group, study finds

Excess salt intake has long been linked to higher blood pressure, but now a new study has also tied it to quicker cognitive decline in certain groups.

In a six-year study of more than 1,200 older adults 60 and older, Australian researchers found that higher baseline dietary sodium intake was associated with faster decline in "episodic recall" in men, but not in women. 

"Episodic recall is a type of memory used to recall personal experiences and specific events from one’s past, such as where you parked your car or your first day of school," according to study author Samantha Gardener, Ph.D., a research fellow in neuroscience at the School of Medical and Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia.

"We did not see any relationship between the amount of sodium consumed and memory decline in females," she told Fox News Digital.

The finding suggests that sodium intake may be a modifiable risk factor for memory decline in older males.

POPULAR DIET TIED TO LOWER DEMENTIA RISK FOR SOME GROUPS, STUDY REVEALS

While males did report consuming a greater amount of sodium than females, which could explain why the increased cognitive decline was only observed in males, it could also be due to their higher diastolic blood pressure, according to Gardener.

"Elevated blood pressure is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease, and sodium plays a key role in blood pressure regulation," she said.

The research relied on data from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study of aging. The findings were published in the Neurobiology of Aging.

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"This study adds to the evidence that high-sodium diets may affect more than blood pressure," New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. 

"These study findings are a good reminder that sodium intake matters for brain and heart health, especially for adults who already eat more than recommended."

"While excess sodium may impact cognition, it is important to note that this was a longitudinal observational study, meaning it can show an association but cannot rule out other potential factors like overall diet quality, physical activity or other comorbidities," Palinski-Wade noted.

Also, the participants reported their sodium intake via a food frequency questionnaire, which could be subject to recall error, the researchers pointed out.

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As sodium exposure was measured only at baseline, changes in intake over time were not captured by the study. It also only included sodium content in foods and beverages, and did not include salt added during cooking or at the table.

The participants were mostly Caucasian, which means the results may not apply to other populations.

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"We were not able to identify why sodium intake is having this effect, and this will be researched in the future," Gardener told Fox News Digital.  

"These findings are preliminary, and further investigation is required to evaluate how sodium intake could be incorporated as one modifiable lifestyle factor aimed at delaying Alzheimer’s disease onset."

The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day for adults, which is equivalent to roughly 1 teaspoon of table salt.

Typical high-sodium foods in the U.S. diet include pizza, sandwiches and burgers, deli meats, and chips, crackers and salty snacks. 

Other high-sodium foods in the grocery store include canned foods, salad dressings, deli meats, cheeses and condiments, according to Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist in North Carolina.

Up to 80% of sodium intake comes from processed foods, she noted.

"Replacing one processed snack – such as beef jerky, olives, salted nuts, pretzels and bagged potato or corn chips – with an unprocessed snack is a great place to start," Freirich, who also was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.

Healthier, unprocessed snacks include fruit, lightly salted nuts, carrots and hummus, or lower-sodium versions of chips, she said.

"Replacing a few fast food meals with food prepared at home is also an excellent way to reduce your sodium intake by thousands of milligrams," the expert advised.

Palinski-Wade echoed that the majority of sodium in the diet doesn’t come from the salt shaker, but from ultraprocessed and prepared foods. 

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"Read the labels, monitor your intake, and fill your diet with foods that promote heart health, including whole fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, and lean proteins," she advised.

Successfully lowering sodium intake can reduce the risk of not only high blood pressure and cognitive decline, but also kidney and cardiovascular disease, the experts agreed.

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Experts reveal why 'nonnamaxxing' trend may improve mental, physical health

The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.

A growing social media trend, dubbed "nonnamaxxing," draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.

The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.

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"Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time," Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.

Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.

"We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health," she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.

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Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.

Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.

There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.

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"Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something 'real,'" she said.

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Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional "nonna" lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.

The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.

The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.

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That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.

Singer added, "Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human."

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Woman’s cancer battle takes unbelievable turn when her dog gets same diagnosis

A woman who got a dog to support her through a breast cancer diagnosis was later shocked when the pet was diagnosed with the same disease years later.

Vickie Doogan, 52, from England, said her dog Dolly, a poochon, became her constant companion during recovery from her second cancer diagnosis, news agency SWNS reported.

Doogan was first diagnosed with breast cancer at age 39 after noticing a dull pain and a lump under her arm, which doctors later confirmed was invasive breast cancer that had spread.

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She underwent chemotherapy, surgery and radiation and was eventually declared cancer-free following an intensive course of treatment.

At 44, she was diagnosed again and underwent another round of treatment before opting for a double mastectomy after learning she carried a BRCA2 gene mutation, which increases the risk of breast cancer.

She got Dolly in 2018 while recovering at home, saying the dog provided comfort and companionship during a difficult period in her life.

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"She’s like my shadow," Doogan said. "She’s the most perfect little dog."

In February 2026, Doogan took Dolly to the vet for what she believed was an upset stomach, where a lump was unexpectedly discovered under one of the dog’s nipples.

"The vet said she needed to have a mastectomy. I was so shocked," Doogan said. "I didn’t even know dogs could have mastectomies."

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Dolly underwent surgery to remove the cancer, which was determined to be low-grade and did not require additional treatment, allowing her to recover relatively quickly.

"She bounced back just as well as I did," Doogan said. "People said it’s like she’s mirroring how I dealt with it."

Both Doogan and her dog are now cancer-free and focusing on moving forward after their shared experiences with the disease, SWNS noted.

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Doogan said she hopes their story offers encouragement to others facing a diagnosis and shows that recovery is possible.

"When I was first diagnosed, I was absolutely floored," she said. "Chemo was brutal, but thankfully I responded well."

"Now I’m living my best life again," she added. "I want people to know that although breast cancer is scary, you can still live a really full life."

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Trump-backed plan could fast-track psychedelic therapies — here’s what to know

As President Donald Trump backs efforts to advance psychedelic drugs, doctors are speaking out about how the move could impact mental health treatments.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order to fast-track the research, funding and potential FDA approval of psychedelics like ibogaine, psilocybin, LCD and MDMA, primarily to treat PTSD, depression and addiction.

Psychedelics, psychoactive compounds that act largely through serotonin pathways, are being studied in controlled clinical settings for mental health treatment, experts say.

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Trump’s move is drawing mixed reactions, with supporters praising its potential to transform mental health treatment, particularly for veterans, while critics warn about limited evidence on safety and effectiveness.

"The president’s action today opens a pathway to research that will further open doors to expedited approval of this life-saving medicine as a treatment for our veterans — and society — who have suffered for decades from treatment-resistant PTSD, TBI (traumatic brain injury) and depression," Jay Kopelman, former Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and CEO of Mission to Live Foundation in San Diego, told Fox News Digital.

"This act will require the VA Health System to begin psychedelics research and clinical trials, making psychedelics available to veterans for whom the traditional modalities of care (SSRIs and talk therapy) haven’t worked."

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, agreed that psychedelics hold "big potential" for severe depression and PTSD, and said he supports Trump’s commitment to funding more research. 

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"It changes brain chemistry in a way that can provide more modulation of dopamine, serotonin and other neurochemicals, making a patient less fearful," he told Fox News Digital. 

"At the same time, the psychiatric impact of psychedelics can be useful to change perception in a positive way."

Siegel emphasized, however, that these therapies need to be further researched, and that doses and exact indications must be carefully determined.

Juliana Mercer, a 16-year Marine Corps veteran and the executive director of Healing Breakthrough, a San Diego-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with PTSD, applauded the president’s move as a "meaningful step."

"The people who need this most are those who have already tried everything and found no real relief," she told Fox News Digital.

"I think about veterans I served with, people who have done years of therapy, cycled through medications, and are still carrying the weight of their service. Too many are still losing that fight at home."

Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions in Washington, D.C., expressed concerns about the executive order.

"While we support rigorous research for treatment discovery, President Trump’s executive order on ibogaine puts politics and hype ahead of science by suggesting that a dangerous, unapproved hallucinogen can somehow be a medical treatment," he shared with Fox News Digital. 

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"Ibogaine remains a Schedule I substance with serious safety concerns, including documented cardiotoxicity and deaths. [The government] should not normalize unproven and risky drugs under the guise of helping those who have served our country."

Siegel also cautioned about the risk of improper prescribing of psychedelics by unqualified practitioners. "Unfettered recreational use and microdosing can increase the risk of psychosis and other anxiety disorders," he added.

Kopelman noted that the primary risk of ibogaine is its "cardiotoxicity properties."

"It can prolong the QT interval in the heartbeat, which can lead to arrhythmia or even heart attack," he told Fox News Digital, noting that this risk is mitigated by "rigorous medical examinations" and monitoring during treatment.

Mercer agreed that these treatments aren’t appropriate for everyone.

"They can have significant psychological effects and, in some cases, physiological risks, which is why they should only be administered in controlled clinical settings by trained providers," she told Fox News Digital.

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"Continued research is essential to better understand who these therapies are right for, and who they’re not, before broader implementation."

While Trump’s order is a step toward FDA approval for psychedelics, the substances still need to go through clinical trials and the standard regulatory pathway, including rescheduling, Mercer noted.

"Veterans and others will still be waiting unless we also build the systems to provide this safely at scale, trained providers, reimbursement pathways and clinical care models," she said. "This is the gap we’ve been highlighting for years, and it still needs to be closed."

Kopelman agreed that while the legislation paves a path for expedited study of these medications, it’s important to "do it the right way," warning that "one misstep could overturn and sink this entire effort."

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"Most important is the post-medicine integration work that requires multiple therapy sessions overseen by a trauma-informed psychedelic therapist," he told Fox News Digital. "It’s not like prescribing someone a Tylenol and sending them home — these medicines require medical oversight."

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"Psychedelics are not a panacea," Kopelman added. "They are a gateway to healing — but the real work begins after treatment."

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