EP762 - Downward Trend in Age at Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer: A 10-Year Cohort Analysis in Mexican Population

ePoster Presenter(s)

• 

  Andric Perez-Ortiz, MD, MPH (he/him/his)

  Colorectal Surgery Fellow
  The American British Cowdry Medical Center
  The American British Cowdray Medical Center
  CDMX, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.

Author(s)

• FL

  Florencia Lucero Serrano, n/a

  Colorectal Surgery Department.
  Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubiran"
  Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• EG

  Edgar A. Gonzalez Macedo, MD, Certified General Surgeon, Certified Colorectal Surgeon

  Associate professor
  ABC Medical Center
  Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• MV

  Martín Vega de Jesus, MD, Md

  Programa Director General Surgery
  American British Cowdray Medical Center
  México, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• 

  Dioselina Lanzagorta Ortega, MD (she/her/hers)

  PGY3 General Surgery Resident
  The American British Cowdray Medical Center
  American British Cowdray Medical Center
  Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• AS

  Ana Y. Sandoval-Mussi, MD

  General Surgery Resident
  American British Cowdray Medical Center
  Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• LT

  Luis F Tallabs-Utrilla, Centro Médico ABC

  MD
  Centro Médico ABC
  Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• AZ

  Asya Zubillaga, MD

  Hospital General Dr Manuel Gea Gonzalez

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• RM

  Raul Moran Treviño, MD

  Colorectal surgery fellow
  The American British Cowdray Medical Center
  México City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.
• 

  Marco A. Urbina Velázquez, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (he/him/his)

  Colorectal Surgery Fellow
  Centro Médico ABC Ciudad de México
  American British Cowdray
  Ciudad de México, Mexico City, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.

Senior Author(s)

• CD

  César Decanini, n/a

  Chair of Surgery Department
  ASCRS
  Mexico city, Distrito Federal, Mexico

  Disclosure information not submitted.

Purpose/Background: The annual incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) among individuals younger than 50 years has increased by up to 2.0% since 1990. This rise in early-onset CRC (EO-CRC) is believed to reflect generational differences in diet, environmental exposures, and lifestyle-related factors. In Mexico, disparities in survival by stage, histologic subtype, and treatment have been described. However, no data currently exist evaluating temporal changes in mean age at diagnosis or estimating annual incidence rates among patients younger than 45 years. Here, we aimed to determine whether the mean age at diagnosis of CRC has changed over the past decade and to estimate the annual incidence of CRC in patients under 45 years of age.

Methods/Interventions: We analyzed a retrospective cohort including all patients diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer who were surgical candidates between 2014 and 2024 at a tertiary academic center in Mexico. Clinical and demographic data were extracted from electronic medical records (N = 254). Temporal trends in mean age at diagnosis were evaluated using linear regression models. Annual incidence rate ratios (IRR) for patients younger than 45 years were calculated using Poisson regression models adjusted for age, sex, and tumor location in R version 4.2.2.

Results/Outcomes: The mean age at CRC diagnosis decreased significantly over the study period (β = -0.97 years per year; p = 0.0001). Among patients younger than 45 years, the annual incidence increased by 28% (IRR 1.28; 95% CI 1.06-1.62; p = 0.0199). The proportion of EO-CRC cases rose from 9.4% in 2014 to 27.8% in 2024. No significant difference in mean age at diagnosis was observed between colon and rectal cancer subgroups.

Conclusion/Discussion: Our findings demonstrate a significant downward trend in the age at CRC diagnosis across 10 years in a Mexican cohort. The rising incidence of EO-CRC mirrors global trends and highlights a potential generational shift in disease epidemiology. If this trend persists, the projected annual increase in CRC cases among individuals under 45 years could range between 6% and 62% over the next decade. These results support reconsideration of current colorectal cancer screening guidelines in Mexico, with potential implications for lowering the age of initial colonoscopic screening.

Mean age at diagnosis of colorectal cancer between 2014 and 2024.
Depicted in the first panel is the overall age at diagnosis of all colorectal cancers, and then stratified by colon (Middle panel) and rectal cancer (Last panel).