If you are in this study, you will fill out an online survey that takes about 30 to 40 minutes. The study team will also collect basic information about you, such as your age and background, along with results from your colonoscopy. This information will be saved in secure research databases. You can choose to give extra samples if you want. These may include a small blood sample taken before your colonoscopy, a stool sample you collect at home using a kit, and extra tissue from your medical procedure. The study team will also review your health records over time to see how you are doing.

Young-onset gastrointestinal (GI) cancers: Cancers of the digestive system that happen in people younger than 50 years old.

Precancers: early changes in the body that are not cancer yet, but could turn into cancer if they are not found and treated.

People can join this study if they are between 18 and 49 years old and are scheduled to have a colonoscopy at Duke. They must also be able to understand the study and agree to take part.

The purpose of this study is to help scientists learn why more young people are getting cancers of the digestive system. The study also hopes to find early warning signs in the stomach and intestines that may show when cancer could start. By learning this, researchers want to help doctors find these cancers sooner and help people stay healthier in the future.