Skip to main content

Red-Flag Signs May Indicate Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2023 -- Four red-flag signs and symptoms may signal an elevated risk for early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study published online May 4 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Cassandra D. L. Fritz, M.D., from Washington University in St. Louis, and colleagues used data from 5,075 incident early-onset CRC among U.S. commercial insurance beneficiaries and matched controls with two or more years of continuous enrollment (2006 to 2015) to identify red-flag signs/symptoms between three months to two years before the index date among 17 prespecified signs/symptoms.

The researchers found that four red-flag signs/symptoms (abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and iron deficiency anemia) were associated with an increased risk for early-onset CRC (odds ratios [ORs], 1.34 to 5.13). Risk increased with more of these signs/symptoms (one: OR, 1.94; two: OR, 3.59; three or more: OR, 6.52). Even stronger associations were seen for younger ages and rectal cancer. Roughly one in five cases (19.3 percent) had their first sign/symptom occur between three months and two years before diagnosis (median diagnostic interval, 8.7 months), whereas 49.3 percent had the first sign/symptom within three months of diagnosis (median diagnostic interval, 0.53 months).

"It's also crucial to spread awareness among primary care doctors, gastroenterologists, and emergency medicine doctors," a coauthor said in a statement. "To date, many early-onset colorectal cancers are detected in emergency rooms, and there often are significant diagnostic delays with this cancer."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted May 2023

Read this next

2020 Cancer Screening Rates Low at Federally Qualified Health Centers

FRIDAY, May 3, 2024 -- In 2020, there were major gaps in screening clients at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) for various types of cancer when compared with the general...

CDC: Decrease in Maternal Mortality Rates Seen in 2022

THURSDAY, May 2, 2024 -- In 2022, there was a decrease in maternal mortality rates, according to a report published in the May Health E-Stats, a publication of the U.S. Centers...

Algorithm From EHR Can ID Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disease

THURSDAY, May 2, 2024 -- A machine learning algorithm can identify patients with common variable immunodeficiency disease (CVID) from their electronic health records, according to...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.