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Colorectal cancer rates rising 6% per year among young adults in Europe

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Rates of colorectal cancer among young adults in Europe have increased by 6% every year for the last 10 years, according to research presented at UEG Week 2018 in Vienna.

Fanny Vuik , of Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said in a press release that studies have shown a similar rise in rates in North America, but data from Europe have been limited.

“It’s worrying to see the startling rates at which colorectal cancer is increasing in the young,” Vuik said in the release. “The cause for this upward trend is still unknown, although it may be related to increasingly sedentary lifestyles, obesity and poor diets, all of which are known colorectal cancer risk factors.”

Researchers analyzed data on age-related incidence of CRC from national European cancer registries that have a time frame of at least 10 years and range from 1990 to 2016. They defined anyone between 20 and 49 years as “young adults,” and collected five-year incidence and mortality rates from 20 European countries before calculating trends.

They found that in adults aged 20 to 39 years, the overall CRC incidence rate increased by 4.9% (95% CI, 3.9-5.9) every year since 2005. Among men, CRC incidence increased by 2.2% (95% CI, 1.4-3) per year between 1990 and 2010, while it increased 7.3% (95% CI, 2.3-12.5) annually from 2010 to 2016. In women, the increase was 1.5% (95% CI, 0.4-2.7) per year between 1990 and 2008 and 8.9% (95% CI, 4.8-13.2) annually between 2008 and 2016.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Europe, and about 500,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to the press release. Screening programs normally begin at age 50 years.

Vuik said more research is needed to determine the reason for this trend to facilitate new screening strategies that will detect CRC at an earlier stage in young adults.

“The highest increase in incidence was found in adults between 20 and29 years of age,” Vuik said. “Therefore, identifying those young adults at high risk of CRC is essential to ensuring early diagnosis and optimal patient outcomes.” – by Alex Young

Reference : Vuik FER, et al. Presented at: UEG Week Vienna 2018; Oct. 20-24, 2018.

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.