Dr. Kasi on the Rising Incidence of CRC

Pashtoon M. Kasi, MD, MBBS, MS, an assistant professor of Oncology and senior associate consultant in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the rising incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC).

One of the biggest challenges in CRC is addressing the rising incidence of the disease in younger patients, says Kasi. In 2017, a study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute by Rebecca Seigel, MD, of the American Cancer Society, in which a rising incidence of CRC was identified in young and middle-aged adults, including those in their early 50s. The study highlighted the increasing prevalence of the disease in patients who would not have met the guidelines for screening with colonoscopies, he explains.

Prior to this study, the recommended age of screening was indicated for those 50 years of age or older. In May 2018, the American Cancer Society released an updated set of guidelines for CRC screening, to begin at age 45 for individuals of average risk, concludes Kasi.