Epidemiology of Early-onset Colorectal Cancer in a Safety-net Hospital System in Texas

We aimed to characterize risk factors for early versus advanced-stage early-onset colorectal cancer (eoCRC) at our safety-net hospital system.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Rates of CRC diagnosis in young adults (age below 50) have been rising despite an overall decrease in CRC. CRC in this group is often detected late due to screening historically being for persons 50 years and older. Etiologies for the increase in rates of eoCRC remain unclear, as do the risk factors for advanced-stage, defined as stage III or IV, at presentation.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 556 adults younger than 50 years of age with an ICD-10 diagnosis of malignant neoplasm of the colon or rectum within a 10-year span. Data collected included demographics, age at diagnosis, time to diagnosis, and cancer stage at diagnosis. Multivariable analysis was used to determine factors associated with advanced-stage CRC.

A total of 279 patients met the inclusion criteria. Most were Hispanic (67.03%), followed by non-Hispanic Black (NHB, 24.01%). Most had advanced-stage CRC at diagnosis (85.7%, n=239), despite 67.7% (n=189) being diagnosed within 3 months of symptom onset. When compared with non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients, NHB (OR: 2.02, CI: 0.59-6.96) and Hispanic (OR: 1.68, CI: 0.57-4.95) patients had higher odds of advance-stage CRC, albeit not statistically significant.

Most patients were diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. NHB and Hispanic patients had a nonstatistically significant higher odds of presenting at advanced-stage CRC compared with NHW patients. System-wide quality improvement interventions may be needed to screen for eoCRC in safety-net hospital systems.