Colorectal Cancer Diagnoses, Deaths Plummeting

Colorectal cancer rates fell 22 percent from 1975 to 2000 in the United States, and deaths attributed to the disease fell 26 percent during the same period because of increased screening, changes in risk factors and improved treatment, according to an annual report on cancer. (32-page PDF; About PDFs)

The declines might become even more dramatic, said researchers from the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the American Cancer Society and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, who were responsible for the report. According to the researchers' modeling, Americans could see a 36 percent decline in colorectal cancer mortality if current trends persist. Furthermore, researchers said that with accelerated cancer control efforts, colorectal cancer mortality could be cut in half by 2020.

The prediction is based on potential reductions in risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and red meat consumption, and also includes factors that could decrease risks, including exercise and supplement use.

"The extraordinary progress on colorectal cancer shows what can be achieved by coordinated and targeted efforts to apply existing knowledge to cancer control at the state and federal level," said John Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, in a news release. "Increases in colorectal cancer screening have been achieved through a variety of efforts, including education of the public and medical community and advocacy for health insurance coverage of the full range of colorectal cancer screening tests."

The CDC launched a Colorectal Cancer Control Program in September. That program provides screening services in 26 states to low-income men and women aged 50-64 years who are underinsured or uninsured.

"We have tremendous potential to reduce the disparities that exist in colorectal cancer screening and to save lives," said CDC Director Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., in the news release.

Researchers found that from 2002 to 2006, new cases of colorectal cancer fell 3 percent in men and 2.2 percent in women, while deaths declined by 3.9 percent in men and 3.4 percent in women.

Colorectal cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in American men and women and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the nation. Although overall rates are declining, researchers expressed concern about increasing incidence rates among men and women younger than 50 years.

From 1997 to 2006, rates of new colorectal cancer cases decreased for men and women in all racial and ethnic groups except American Indian/Alaska natives.

Overall, researchers found that rates of new diagnoses and deaths of all cancers fell significantly from 2000 to 2006 for men and women and for most racial and ethnic populations.

The decreases were attributed, in part, to declines in rates of new cases and deaths for the three most common cancers in men (lung, prostate and colorectal cancers) and two of the three leading cancers in women (breast and colorectal). New diagnoses for all types of cancer decreased nearly 1 percent each year from 1999 to 2006, and deaths decreased 1.6 percent from 2001 to 2006.

For men, incidence rates also decreased for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, stomach, and brain. However, rates increased for cancers of the kidney, liver and esophagus, as well as for leukemia, myeloma and melanoma.

Among women, incidence rates decreased for cancers of the uterus, ovary, cervix and oral cavity, but rates increased for cancers of the lung, thyroid, pancreas, bladder and kidney, as well as for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma and leukemia.

Cancer death rates were the highest in black men and women; Asian and Pacific Islander men and women had the lowest rates. Researchers said differences in death rates by ethnic groups could reflect differences in risk behaviors, socioeconomic status, and access to screening and treatment.