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Review
. 2020 Jan;158(2):341-353.
doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.07.055. Epub 2019 Aug 5.

Epidemiology and Mechanisms of the Increasing Incidence of Colon and Rectal Cancers in Young Adults

Elena M Stoffel  1 , Caitlin C Murphy  2
Affiliations
Review

Epidemiology and Mechanisms of the Increasing Incidence of Colon and Rectal Cancers in Young Adults

Elena M Stoffel et al. Gastroenterology. 2020 Jan.

Abstract

In contrast to the decreasing incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in older populations, the incidence has nearly doubled in younger adults since the early 1990s. Approximately 1 in 10 new diagnoses of CRC are now made in individuals 50 years or younger. Patients' risk of CRC has been calculated largely by age and family history, yet 3 of 4 patients with early-onset CRC have no family history of the disease. Rapidly increasing incidence rates in younger people could result from generational differences in diet, environmental exposures, and lifestyle factors. We review epidemiologic trends in CRC, data on genetic and nongenetic risk factors, and new approaches for determining CRC risk. These may identify individuals likely to benefit from early screening and specialized surveillance.

Keywords: Colorectal Cancer; Early-Age Onset; Epidemiology; Risk Factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: The authors declare no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Incidence rates of early-onset CRC (ages 20–49 years) by US state, National Program of Cancer Registries, 2001 – 2015
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Incidence rate ratios for CRC by birth cohort
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Prevalence of pathogenic variants by age at CRC diagnosis. Based on findings reported in, , , Genes that contain pathogenic variants by age at CRC diagnosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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