2022 has arrived, in the new year, how to arrange the medical examination? Today, we would like to provide you and your family with an important tip to suggest that people with general risk should advance the starting age of colorectal cancer screening from the previous 50 years old to 45 years old. Because colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer after breast cancer and lung cancer, and colorectal cancer patients in our compatriots account for about 31% of the planet. More importantly, research data from nearly 3 million people suggest that early-onset colorectal cancer is an important factor in associated mortality. Let's introduce the main points of this study to you now.
Recently, the research team at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine published a paper in the journal Gastroenterology. The study, which analyzed colonoscopy data from nearly 3 million people, identified the prevalence and risk factors of colorectal cancer in people aged 18 to 54 years. The study's conclusions again suggest that colorectal cancer is not a disease of old age, and that the risk of death from early-onset colorectal cancer is rising, with about 10% of new cases under the age of 50. In this context, several countries and regions have updated guidelines to reduce the starting age of colorectal cancer screening for general-risk populations from 50 to 45 years.
Data from the study are from 2921816 colonoscopy records from 2014 to 2020, of which 562559 cases are the first test. The study found that in patients aged 45 to 49 years, the tumor incidence rate was 32%, the incidence of advanced precancerous lesions and colorectal cancer was 7.5% and 0.58%, respectively, and the incidence of 40 to 44 years old was also relatively close, and the risk of advanced precancerous lesions in Asian populations was higher. Notably, in people aged 30 to 39 years, about 2% to 4% have advanced precancerous lesions, and the incidence of colorectal cancer is about 0.2% to 0.4%. These data show that the advanced age of colorectal cancer screening is an important measure to reduce the risk of cancer and related deaths.
Colorectal cancer screening begins early, and there is another 1 background. Recently, the team at farber Cancer Institute published a paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which showed that the lethality of advanced colorectal cancer is not affected by age. Although the overall incidence of colorectal cancer declines at a rate of 2% to 3% per year, the incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer under the age of 50 increased by nearly 22% between 2000 and 2013. Therefore, early-onset colorectal cancer should be a prevention priority, and screening in advance is crucial.
It is worth vigilance that the new cases of colorectal cancer among our compatriots have risen from 388,000 in 2015 to 555,000 in 2020, and colorectal cancer has surpassed gastric cancer and become the second largest malignant tumor. At present, our annual new cases of colorectal cancer rank first in the world, and there is a trend of rejuvenation. In addition, people with a family history of colorectal cancer develop significant lesions about 5 years earlier.
As we all know, the focus of reducing the harm of cancer is early diagnosis and early treatment, taking the United States as an example, the mortality rate of stage 1 colorectal cancer is about 10%, while the mortality rate of stage 4 colorectal cancer is 70% to 80%. Studies have shown that in some countries and regions, the decline in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in recent years is mainly due to 3 factors, 1 is effective treatment, 2 is a healthy lifestyle, and 3 is early diagnosis. In North America, for example, the proportion of people over 50 who have had a colonoscopy was 17% in 2000, and at the end of 2018, the proportion has increased to 80%, and the resulting change is that the 5-year survival rate of colorectal cancer patients has increased to more than 65%, while we only have 30%.
The conclusions of multiple studies tell that it is necessary to pay attention to colorectal cancer screening. The occurrence of colorectal cancer is closely related to lifestyle habits, for example, excessive intake of high-fat and high-protein foods, too little dietary fiber intake, excessive intake of red meat and processed meat, drinking, smoking, and sedentary, will increase the risk of colorectal cancer. The occurrence of colorectal cancer, which is also related to family history, is one of the tumors with the highest genetic impact. In addition, intestinal diseases can also increase the risk of colorectal cancer, for example, 3% to 5% of chronic ulcerative colitis, can lead to colon cancer, if the medical history of more than 20 years, the risk of colorectal cancer will increase significantly. Finally, it should also be noted that more than 95% of sporadic bowel cancers originate from adenomatous polyps, and it takes about 8 to 10 years to develop from adenomatous polyps to early bowel cancer, and colon cancer can be avoided if the advanced adenoma is found in time and resected. Presumably, everyone has understood the importance of early screening, so let's arrange colonoscopy for yourself and your family in time at the beginning of the new year.
Whoever loves, pass on health to whom.