Does a "Western Lifestyle" Confer a Higher Burden of Colorectal Cancer? A Comparison of EU15+ Countries versus Global Trends between 1990 and 2019.

Simple Summary: In the United States, colorectal cancer (CRC) rates are dropping among adults aged 50 and above, but recent studies show a rise in cases among those under 50. This study compares CRC rates in EU15+ countries to see if similar trends exist in regions with comparable "Western lifestyle" risk factors. Data from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed, focusing on incidence, mortality, and mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) across age groups. Globally, the change in percentage rates of CRC increased for all ages over this 30-year period, especially among males (75.9%) and females (27.7%) aged 25–49. This rise was mirrored in 15 of 19 EU15+ countries for males and 16 for females in the same age group. While female mortality rates decreased globally, male rates increased across all ages, highlighting the need to address modifiable risk factors and implement early standardized screening to detect CRC in younger populations. The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the U.S. is declining in adults 50 years and older; however, recent studies suggest an increasing disease burden among adults under age 50. This study aims to compare the incidence, mortality, and mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) of CRC in EU15+ countries to determine if similar age-stratified occurrences are observed across these countries with similar "Western lifestyle"-related risk factors. Incidence and mortality rates for CRC between 1990 and 2019 were extracted using the Global Burden of Disease database. The data were age-stratified into groups between ages 25–49, 50–69, and greater than 69 years. We observed that the incidence of CRC increased globally for all age groups, with the highest increase observed for males (75.9%) and females (27.7%) aged 25–49. A similar trend was observed in 15 of the 19 EU15+ countries for males and 16 of the 19 EU15+ countries for females aged 25–49. Global mortality rates decreased for all age groups in females but increased for males in all age groups. This raises concerns regarding potentially modifiable risk factors contributing to increased CRC development and underscores the importance of implementing standardized screening at an earlier stage to ensure adequate detection in the younger population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]