The startling rise in colorectal cancer (CRC) among younger people has led to an intensive search for a cause of this trend. A new study led by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) suggests alcohol consumption and smoking are significant risk factors for early-onset CRC (EOCRC). The authors say awareness about this link should be part of prevention efforts.

The report appears in Clinical Colorectal Cancer and the lead author is Janine Wieser of the DKFZ. It was a systematic review and meta-analysis.

In 2023 the American Cancer Society (ACS) reported that 20% of diagnoses of CRC in 2019 had been in patients under age 55, which is about double the rate in 1995, and rates of advanced disease increased by about 3% annually in people younger than 50.

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