People with colon cancer are 24 times more likely to die within five years if they had one habit before diagnosis

Colon cancer is very much on the radar of health experts right now, given the rise in cases among the younger generations. But there's one habit that could worsen the prognosis for those diagnosed with the illness, a new study has suggested.

According to the National Cancer Institute, nearly 53,000 Americans are projected to die from bowel cancer in 2025 alone.

While 65 percent of those who are diagnosed with survive the next five years, 35 percent will not, and there are many factors which can sway the outcome.

This could be the stage of the cancer when it is diagnosed, where it is within the colon and how the treatment takes to the patient.

But there is also one habit some people have that could actually make a patient up to 24 times more likely to die from the disease.

Patients with colon cancer could be more likely to die if they do this one thing (Getty Stock Image/athima tongloom)

The habit in question? Heavy cannabis use.

According to the Center of Disease Control, ‘cannabis is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States’ with 52.5 million people admitting to using it at least once in 2021.

Over in the UK, around 2.5 million people confessed to using it in 2023, as per the Office for National Statistics.

So, it’s a pretty prominent drug.

The CDC also states that three out of ten people would go on to develop cannabis misuse disorder, which is an addiction where users will be heavily reliant on smoking pot, sometimes in large quantities and at regular intervals.

So, what does weed have to do with your chance of survival if you are diagnosed with colon cancer?

Cannabis could substantially increase your chances of dying (Getty Stock Image/Alberto Case)

Well, the study analysed the electronic health records of around 1,100 bowel cancer patients who received treatment from the University of California Health system between 2012 and 2024 to find out.

What did the colon cancer study find out?

The experts found that those who suffered from cannabis use disorder had a 55.88 percent mortality rate within five years of receiving a diagnosis than those who did not.

Those who didn’t smoke it had a 5.08 percent risk of death, which is a significant difference between the two groups.

Also, those who were addicted to weed before they were found to have colon cancer were 24.4 times more likely to die within five years compared to others.

Raphael Cuomo, an associate professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and lead study author, explained: “This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that heavy cannabis use may have under-recognized impacts on the immune system, mental health and treatment behaviors.”

Cuomo published his work in the Annals of Epidemiology, but wanted to let everyone know that this wasn’t about turning weed into the enemy.

He said: “This isn’t about vilifying cannabis. It’s about understanding the full range of its impacts, especially for people facing serious illnesses.

“We hope these findings encourage more research — and more nuanced conversations — about how cannabis interacts with cancer biology and care.”