Study finds increase in colorectal cancer detection among people aged 45-49

A JAMA study published yesterday found that more adults age 45-49 have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a finding that coincides with recommendations by the American Cancer Society in 2018 and the United States Preventive Services Task Force in 2021 to lower the screening age from 50 to 45. Researchers found that the incidence of colorectal cancer detection increased steadily 1.1% per year for individuals aged 45-49 from 2004-2019, before a sharp increase of 12% per year from 2019-2022, likely due to earlier screening. Meanwhile, the incidence increased 1.6% per year since 2004 among adults 20-39 years old and 2%-2.6% per year since 2012 among adults 40-44 and 50-54 years old.