The U.S. colorectal cancer incidence rate has increased for the first time in more than 20 years, according to a study published Oct. 27 in NEJM Evidence.
Researchers from the University of Chicago, University of California Los Angeles, University of California San Diego and Atlanta-based Emory University analyzed National Cancer Institute registry data covering 45.8% of the U.S. population to assess colorectal cancer incidence from 2000 to 2023.
Here are three notes from the study:
- The colorectal cancer incidence rate fell between 2000 and 2022, from 55.2 per 100,000 people to 36.7 per 100,000. The incidence rate then rose in 2023 to 38.3 per 100,000.
The upward trend was similar across sex, tumor location, stage at diagnosis, race and ethnicity. - Among adults ages 45 to 49, rates rose 12.76% annually from 2019 to 2023. The rise was likely driven by an increased screening after national guidelines lowered the recommended starting age to 45, researchers said.
Rates also rose among adults ages 65 to 69 and plateaued among those ages 70 to 74. - Researchers said COVID-19 screening disruptions may have contributed to the increases but were unlikely to fully explain the 2023 rise.
Read the full study here.
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