Incidence of Pancreas and Colorectal Adenocarcinoma in the US

Pancreas cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer death and colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with increasing incidence for both, particularly in younger age cohorts.

To report updated incidence trends for pancreas and colorectal adenocarcinomas in the US, with the specific intent of examining the annual percentage changes (APCs) in younger age groups.

This retrospective cohort study used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database to examine incidence trends from 2000 to 2021. Individuals with pancreatic and colorectal adenocarcinoma were included. Data through 2021 were released on April 17, 2024. Data analysis occurred from December 4, 2024, to February 1, 2025.

Yearly incidence rates were obtained for pancreatic and colorectal adenocarcinoma. Temporal trends of pancreas adenocarcinoma incidence rates by covariates were measured by APC and 95% CIs.

From 2000 to 2021, 275 273 cases of pancreas adenocarcinoma were identified (142 633 male patients [51.8%]; 239 840 patients [87.1%] aged ≥55 years). The APC for pancreatic adenocarcinoma was 4.35 (95% CI, 2.03 to 6.73) in the group aged 15 to 34 years, which was statistically significantly higher than the APCs of 1.74 (95% CI, 1.59 to 1.89) (P = .007) for the group aged 55 years and older and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.18 to 1.90) (P = .004) for the group aged 35 to 54 years. A total of 1 215 200 cases of colorectal cancer were identified (641 776 male patients [52.8%]; 976 716 patients [80.4%] aged ≥55 years). The APC for colorectal adenocarcinoma was -3.31 (95% CI, -3.54 to -3.08) for the group aged 55 years and older, which was statistically significantly lower than the APCs of 1.75 (95% CI, 1.08 to 2.42) (P = .001) for the group aged 15 to 34 years and 0.78 (95% CI, 0.51 to 1.06) (P = .002) for the group aged 35 to 54 years.

The findings of this cohort study suggest that the incidence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma has increased among all age groups, whereas that of colorectal adenocarcinoma has increased among younger age groups. Clinicians should be aware of this trend when evaluating younger patients with relevant symptoms.