(HealthDay News) — Incidence rates for colorectal cancer (CRC) declined by approximately 3% per year from 2001 to 2010 in the United States, with the largest drops occurring in adults aged 65 and older, according to research published in the March/April issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Rebecca Siegel, MPH, of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues compiled an overview of CRC statistics, including incidence data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, as well as mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
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The researchers found that, from 2001 to 2010, incidence rates for CRC decreased by approximately 3% per year; the largest drops occurred in adults aged 65 years and older, while rates increased among adults aged younger than 50 years.
More than one-third of all CRC deaths (29% in men and 43% in women) will occur in individuals aged 80 years or older. The incidence and death rates for CRC are highest in blacks and lowest in Asians/Pacific Islanders.
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“Progress in reducing colorectal cancer death rates can be accelerated by improving access to and use of screening and standard treatment in all populations,” the researchers wrote.
