• Early-onset colorectal cancer is increasing globally, but India records the lowest rates.
• The trend, previously seen in high-income Western countries, is now widespread.
• The highest incidence rates are in Australia, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, the US, and Korea.
• The rise in early-onset colorectal cancer requires urgent attention and innovative prevention tools.

The global incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as colon cancer, is on the rise, particularly among adults aged 25-49. However, India has the lowest rate among 50 countries, according to a recent study published in The Lancet Oncology. The study revealed that early-onset CRC rates are increasing in 27 of the 50 countries/territories worldwide. Among these, 20 have seen a faster rise in early-onset cases. In 14 other countries, including the United States, rates are increasing among young adults while stabilizing in those aged 50 and older.

Dr. Hyuna Sung, the lead author of the study and a senior principal scientist of cancer surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, stated that the increase in early-onset colorectal cancer is a global phenomenon. Previously, this trend was observed only among high-income Western countries, but it has now become widespread.

The Global Trend and Gender Differences

The study aimed to examine contemporary CRC incidence trends in young versus older adults using data through 2017 from 50 countries/territories. The countries that reported a faster rise in early-onset CRC among men than women included Chile, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Ecuador, Thailand, Sweden, Israel, and Croatia. However, young women experienced faster increases in England, Norway, Australia, Türkiye, Costa Rica, and Scotland.

In 13 countries with increasing trends in both age groups, the annual percentage increase in young compared to older adults was larger in Chile, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Finland, smaller in Thailand, Martinique, Denmark, Costa Rica, and similar in Türkiye, Ecuador, and Belarus.

The Highest and Lowest Incidence Rates

For the last five years, the incidence rate of early-onset CRC was highest in Australia, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, the US, and the Republic of Korea (14 to 17 per 100,000) and lowest in Uganda and India (4 per 100,000).

Dr. Sung emphasized the need for innovative tools to prevent and control cancers linked to dietary habits, physical inactivity, and excess body weight. She also called for raising awareness of the trend and the distinct symptoms of early-onset colorectal cancer such as rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, altered bowel habits, and unexplained weight loss among young people to boost diagnosis.

The Global Response and Future Directions

In a related context, a study highlighted the global surge in early-onset colorectal cancer. Other researchers contributing to the study included Rebecca Siegel, Chenxi Jiang, and senior author Dr. Ahmedin Jemal. Yin Cao, an associate professor of surgery and of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a research member of Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University Medicine, is a contributing author.

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