Early-Age-Onset Colorectal Cancer in Canada: Evidence, Issues and Calls to Action

Mary A De Vera; Sharlene Gill; Shady Ashamalla; Dan Schiller; Darren R Brenner; Clarence Wong; Petra Wildgoose; Mary Jane Esplen; Christopher Lieu; Roslyn Fitzpatrick; Dylan E O'Sullivan; Filomena Servidio-Italiano

doi:10.3390/curroncol29050256

Early-Age-Onset Colorectal Cancer in Canada: Evidence, Issues and Calls to Action

Curr Oncol. 2022 Apr 29;29(5):3149-3159. doi: 10.3390/curroncol29050256.

Authors

Mary A De Vera¹, Sharlene Gill², Shady Ashamalla^{3

4}, Dan Schiller⁵, Darren R Brenner^{6

7

8

9}, Clarence Wong¹⁰, Petra Wildgoose⁴, Mary Jane Esplen¹¹, Christopher Lieu¹², Roslyn Fitzpatrick¹³, Dylan E O'Sullivan^{6

7

9}, Filomena Servidio-Italiano¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
² Division of Medical Oncology, BC Cancer, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6, Canada.
³ Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1P5, Canada.
⁴ Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
⁵ Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T5H 3V9, Canada.
⁶ Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
⁷ Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
⁸ Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
⁹ Forzani & MacPhail Colon Cancer Screening Centre, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
¹⁰ Division of Gastroenterology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2X8, Canada.
¹¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1P5, Canada.
¹² Division of Medical Oncology, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
¹³ Patient Advocate, Thornhill, ON L3T 3H1, Canada.
¹⁴ Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network, 700-2 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M4W 3E2, Canada.

Abstract

The inaugural Early-Age-Onset Colorectal Cancer Symposium was convened in June 2021 to discuss the implications of rapidly rising rates of early-age-onset colorectal cancer (EAO-CRC) in Canadians under the age of 50 and the impactful outcomes associated with this disease. While the incidence of CRC is declining in people over the age of 50 in Canada and other developed countries worldwide, it is significantly rising in younger people. Canadians born after 1980 are 2 to 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with CRC before the age of 50 than previous generations at the same age. While the etiology of EAO-CRC is largely unknown, its characteristics differ in many key ways from CRC diagnosed in older people and warrant a specific approach to risk factor identification, early detection and treatment. Participants of the symposium offered directions for research and clinical practice, and developed actionable recommendations to address the unique needs of these individuals diagnosed with EAO-CRC. Calls for action emerging from the symposium included: increased awareness of EAO-CRC among public and primary care practitioners; promotion of early detection programs in younger populations; and the continuation of research to identify unique risk factor profiles, tumour characteristics and treatment models that can inform tailored approaches to the management of EAO-CRC.

Keywords: EAO-CRC; EO-CRC; colorectal cancer; early-age-onset colorectal cancer.

Publication types

Congress
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Canada / epidemiology
Colorectal Neoplasms* / diagnosis
Colorectal Neoplasms* / epidemiology
Colorectal Neoplasms* / therapy
Humans
Incidence
Risk Factors

Grants and funding

Sources of funding to support the symposium were generously provided by the following stakeholders: Amgen, Bayer, Coulson Contracting, IMV, Marsden Clinic of Excellence, Merck and Olympus.