Epidemiological Classification Changes and Incidence of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

How does changing cancer registration guidelines affect the estimation of colorectal cancer incidence?In this cohort study of 63 780 patients with colorectal cancer, changes in the definition of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) affected the incidence of colorectal cancer only for people aged 15 to 39 years, for whom the proportion of NENs was sufficient to change incidence. Time-series patterns for nonmetastatic NENs were similar across all age classes, while metastatic NENs remained rare.Findings of this study suggest that public health decision-makers should consider the artifactual increase in NEN incidence amid increasing colorectal cancer rates, especially regarding the current debate about initiating colorectal cancer screening at an earlier age.

Corresponding Author: Anne-Marie Bouvier, MD, PhD, Digestive Cancer Registry of Burgundy, BP 87900, 21079 Dijon Cedex, France (anne-marie.bouvier@u-bourgogne.fr).

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