Colorectal cancer recedes in the elderly but progresses in the forties. A study conducted in the United States suggests an extension of organized screening.
Should we review organized screening for colorectal cancer? Intended for 50-74 year olds, it could omit some of the victims of this pathology. Indeed, invasive tumors are on the rise in young patients – under the age of 50. A study conducted in the United States reveals it in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The downward trend is still confirmed among people targeted for biennial screening.
Opposite curves
The results of this retrospective study, conducted over 40 years, may seem counterintuitive. And yet, of the 500,000 cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed during this period, the distribution between age groups is changing. It is clearly unfavorable to young people.
Compared to people born in 1950, those born in the 1990s are twice as likely to get colon cancer. It’s worse for rectal cancer: their risk is four times higher.
This gap is explained by the evolution of diagnoses within different age groups. Since the 1980s, the incidence rate has been declining among older people. Thus, in the case of colon cancer, this rate has fallen from 0.5 to 1% per year among 40-54 year olds. Conversely, it climbed 1 to 2% per year among 20-39 year olds. The results are even bleaker in the case of rectal cancer, which is increasing by 3% per year in young people and declining by 2% per year in their elders.
Strengthen prevention
These results should serve as an alarm, according to the authors of this study. Because the explanations are relatively simple: sedentary lifestyle and Western diet promote the occurrence of colorectal cancer. Not to mention the strong presence of overweight and obesity in the country of Uncle Sam, where 40% of the population is affected.
“The trend among young people serves as a barometer for the coming burden of disease,” said Rebecca Siegel, lead author of the study. Prevention campaigns are needed to alert doctors and the general public to this phenomenon. The objective does not vary: to encourage a healthier lifestyle. Because the conclusions of the publication leave no ambiguity on this subject. “While early colorectal cancer has a greater familial component than late forms, the majority of cases are sporadic. “
The researchers also believe that the minimum screening age must be revised downwards. The figures confirm the validity of this suggestion: in 2013, 10,400 new cases of colorectal cancer were detected in people in their forties. There remains the question of the cost-effectiveness of such a development.
France, for its part, plays the game of prevention every March – nicknamed Mars Bleu for the occasion. This year again, the League against cancer is circulating throughout France with a giant colon, in order to raise awareness.
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