After a stable 15-year trend, local-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence increased steeply in adults aged 45 to 49 from 2019–2022, including a 50% relative increase between 2021 and 2022. This trend contrasts with consistent increases of distant-stage diagnoses in this age group and likely reflects the diagnosis of prevalent asymptomatic cancer through first-time screening due to recommendations for adults to begin screening at age 45 instead of age 50.
This article was originally published on MedicalXpress.com
