There is growing recognition of early-onset gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies in young adults < 50 years of age. While much of the literature has emphasized colorectal cancer, these also include esophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, and biliary tract malignancies. Various factors, including lifestyle, hereditary, and environmental elements, have been proposed to explain the rising incidence of GI malignancies in the younger population. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent literature, including global trends and information regarding genetic and environmental risk factors.
Keywords: early-onset biliary malignancy; early-onset colorectal cancer; early-onset esophageal cancer; early-onset gastric cancer; early-onset gastrointestinal malignancies; early-onset liver cancer; early-onset pancreatic cancer; esophageal adenocarcinoma; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; young adult cancer.