Rising rates of colorectal cancer found in nearly all age groups

Colorectal cancer rates are rising across younger and older age groups, according to a study published in NEJM Evidence.

Colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths overall in the U.S., ranks first in adults younger than 50 years. The new study found that rising incidence now extends beyond younger adults to nearly all age groups, which has implications for the healthcare system as more diagnoses will create a greater demand for treatment and survivorship care.

Caitlin Murphy, PhD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago, and her colleagues used the most recent data from the National Cancer Institute to examine incidence rates of colorectal cancer over a 20-year period. The data showed that the age-adjusted incidence rate fell from 55.2 per 100,000 in 2000 to 36.7 in 2022, then rose to 38.3 in 2023.