{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T03:42:41Z","timestamp":1789616561545,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,30]],"date-time":"2023-05-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1685404800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing in the young (under 50). Defining the clinicopathological features and cancer-specific outcomes of patients with early-onset CRC is important to optimize screening and treatment strategies. This study evaluated disease-specific features and oncological outcomes of patients with early-onset CRC. Methods: Anonymized data from an international collaboration were analyzed. The inclusion criteria for this study were patients aged &lt;50 years with stage I-III disease surgically resected with curative intent. Overall and disease-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan\u2013Meier method. Results: A total of 3378 patients were included, with a median age of 43 (18\u201349) and a slight male preponderance (54.3%). One-third had a family history of colorectal cancer. Almost all (&gt;95%) of patients were symptomatic at diagnosis. The majority (70.1%) of tumors were distal to the descending colon. Approximately 40% were node positive. Microsatellite instability was demonstrated in one in five patients, representing 10% of rectal and 27% of colon cancers. A defined inherited syndrome was diagnosed in one-third of those with microsatellite instability. Rectal cancer displayed a worse prognosis stage for stage. Five-year disease-free survival for stage I, II, and III colon cancer was 96%, 91%, and 68%, respectively. The equivalent rates for rectal cancer were 91%, 81%, and 62%. Conclusions and relevance: The majority of EOCRC would be captured with flexible sigmoidoscopy. Extending screening to young adults and public health education initiatives are potential interventions to improve survivorship.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers15112979","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,31]],"date-time":"2023-05-31T02:27:30Z","timestamp":1685500050000},"page":"2979","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":33,"title":["Colorectal Cancer in the Young: Research in Early Age Colorectal Cancer Trends (REACCT) Collaborative"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Alexandra M.","family":"Zaborowski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Colorectal Disease, St. Vincent\u2019s University Hospital, Elm Park, D04 T6F4 Dublin, Ireland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"311","DOI":"10.1136\/jim-2016-000229","article-title":"Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality among adults younger than 50 years in the USA: A SEER-based analysis with comparison to other young-onset cancers","volume":"65","author":"Bhandari","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. 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