Colorectal Cancer: Facts You Should Know

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) As colorectal cancer rises globally among adults under 50, a few countries are responding by lowering the minimum age for screening. Calls are growing for Switzerland to follow suit, but experts warn it might not be enough to tackle the real problem: low participation rates. This content was published on December 10, 2025 - 09:00 12 minutes

Health and data journalist. I cover a wide range of healthcare topics, from cutting-edge therapies to global health. My stories are often data-driven, and I strive to make complex issues clear and accessible. Before becoming a full-time journalist, I worked in communication, research, and data analysis for the UN and EU. In the private sector, I developed health economics models to inform policy and investment decisions. Originally from Italy, I am now based in Zurich.

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Almost a million people around the world die every year from bowel cancer. In 2020External link it became the second-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, according to the World Health OrganizationExternal link. It is the third most commonExternal link cancer in men and women in Switzerland, with around 4,500 diagnoses and 1,600 deaths each year.

The disease, also known as colorectal cancer (CRC), predominantly affects older adults. In Switzerland, for example, people aged 55 and over accounted for 86% of CRC diagnosesExternal link in the five years through 2021. But while cases among this age group have stabilised or declined in recent years, many countries, including Switzerland, have witnessed a significant rise in early-onset cases, typically defined as a diagnosis before the age of 50.

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In the USExternal link, incidence rates among people under 50 increasedExternal lin by 2.4% per year from 2012 to 2021. In CanadaExternal link, AustraliaExternal link and New ZealandExternal link, they have risen External link significantly over the last 20 years, while they have generally declined or remained stable for older adults.

In Switzerland, the incidence rate among men aged 25-29 quadrupledExternal link from 0.9 per 100,000 people in the 1992-1996 period to 3.7 in 2017-2021. For males aged 30-34, it surged from 1.6 to 6.4. A similar trend has been observed among women, although the jump has been less dramatic.

Incidence among the 20-39 age group increased significantlyExternal lin in several European countries, including France, Belgium, Germany and the UK, from 1990 to the mid-2010s, a trend that has continuedExternal link.

Screening can halve bowel cancer deaths

The reasons for the increase are not yet fully understood. Some risk factors – including alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of physical activity, and diets high in red or processed meat and low in fibre – have become more common in recent decades, but studies suggest they cannot fully account for the rise.

With causes unclear, a targeted prevention strategy is also lacking. This prompted experts to focus on early detection: the aim is to catch the disease when it is easier to treat and chances of survival are the highest. Some countries, including the US and Austria, have already lowered the minimum age for screening.

In Switzerland, screening starts at 50, and it has been shown to significantly reduce the number of deaths from CRC, according to Swiss Cancer ScreeningExternal link, which monitors and promotes testing programmes. Without screening, roughly two in every 100 people in the country die from bowel cancer before the age of 80, but with screening (either via a doctor's referral or an invitation to a programme), this drops to one in 100.

Switzerland already has one of Europe's highest survival rates for bowel cancer, but early detection is crucial: over 90% of people diagnosed at stage I surviveExternal link five years or more, compared with under 13% at stage IV, the most advanced phase.

Read more on the challenges of getting cancer at a young age:

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