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. 2018 Dec;155(6):1716-1719.e4.
doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.07.045. Epub 2018 Aug 27.

Decrease in Incidence of Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Before Recent Increase

Caitlin C Murphy  1 , Amit G Singal  2 , John A Baron  2 , Robert S Sandler  2
Affiliations

Decrease in Incidence of Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Before Recent Increase

Caitlin C Murphy et al. Gastroenterology. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

The increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in younger adults (aged <50 years) has been widely reported. Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, we found young-onset colorectal cancer incidence rates decreased from 1975 through about 1990. Decreases were more prominent in the colon, a contrast with more recent increases in rectal cancer. Incidence rates subsequently increased, differing by time period and 5-year age group. This inflection point is consistent with a birth cohort effect and points to early life exposures-accumulated throughout the life course-that may increase cancer risk. Studying early life exposures among persons born after 1960 may advance our understanding of colorectal cancer in younger adults.

Keywords: Birth Cohort; Colorectal Neoplasia; Incidence; Young Adult.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: The authors declare no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Age-specific incidence of young-onset colorectal cancer by 5-year age group and time period, SEER 9, 1975 – 2014
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Incidence rate ratios by birth cohort
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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