Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Increasing numbers of adults under the age of 50 years are diagnosed with young-onset colorectal cancer (yCRC). Our research team has searched for research articles on this topic and has concluded more younger adults are diagnosed with and living with yCRC. However, the reasons why younger adults are being diagnosed is not clear. Our team is systematically searching for published research articles that investigate the reasons why yCRC diagnoses are increasing, including whether certain risk factors place certain groups of younger adults at greater risk of being diagnosed with yCRC. Some risk factors (i.e. ethnicity, gender/sex, medical history) can be reduced by promoting colorectal cancer screening, while others (i.e. alcohol and tobacco use, diet, physical activity) can be reduced through lifestyle changes. The aim of our review is to determine which risk factors in younger adults are contributing to the increase in yCRC diagnoses, with the aim of developing interventions to help reduce this risk. These interventions could include expanding screening programs to include those under 50 years of age (current guidelines only recommend screening for those over 50 years of age) or developing educational programs to encourage younger adults to modify their lifestyle characteristics and thus reduce their risk.