Key clinical point: Patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) at an early age showed modest survival advantage over those diagnosed at a later age, particularly in patients with early-stage cancer. Findings emphasize on the importance of early CRC detection in the younger population.
Major finding: After adjustments, most notably for stage, patients with CRC diagnosed at an age younger than 50 years vsvs 51-55 years had a lower risk for death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.95; P less than .001). The advantage of reduced mortality was greatest in patients diagnosed between 35 and 39 years of age (adjusted HR, 0.88; P less than .001) and limited to individuals diagnosed at stages I and II (both P less than .001).
Study details: Findings are from a cohort study of 769,871 patients from the National Cancer Database, who were diagnosed with primary CRC.
Disclosures: The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and American Association for Cancer Research grant to Stand Up To Cancer, a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Some of the authors reported receiving grants and personal fees, speaking fees, and serving as a consultant for various sources.
Source: Cheng E et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Jun 16. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.12539.