News & Events

2026

Rising rates of new colorectal cancer cases and deaths in younger adults

March 2, 2026 - American Cancer Society Tweet

Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in the United States and second leading cause of cancer-related death. In a new study from the American Cancer Society, authors use data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program to explore colorectal cancer statistics and trends in incidence, mortality, and screening across the U.S.

By 2022, the rate of new colorectal cancer cases had fallen by nearly half from its peak in 1985. The decrease in new cases comes mostly from fewer cases in older adults, who have higher rates of cancer. However, this decrease masks increasing rates of cases in younger adults. Almost half of all new colorectal cancer cases now occur in people under 65; in 1995, this age group accounted for only 27% of all new diagnoses. Specifically among people under 50, the rates of new cases increased by between 2% and 4% each year from 2013 to 2022. For this population, rates of cancer in the left side of the colon and rectum doubled from 1998 to 2022. Researchers are studying if gut inflammation from factors like ultraprocessed food and microplastics could explain these trends. The authors note that long-established colorectal cancer risk factors do not completely explain these newly emerging trends. For example, obesity and physical inactivity are more strongly associated with colon tumors, but recent increases are driven by rectal tumors.

Colorectal cancer screening saved over 742,000 lives between 1975 and 2020. Researchers attribute the marked decline in incidence since 2002 among Americans ages 65 and over to the Medicare coverage of screening, which began the year before. In 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended starting age for colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45. The researchers found that about 65% of people 45 and older are up to date with colorectal cancer screening, which includes methods like colonoscopy and stool-based tests.

Short-term cancer survival worse during COVID-19 pandemic

February 5, 2026 - JAMA Oncology

According to the 2025 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, the rate of new cancer cases and deaths fell during periods of time that included the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a new study in JAMA Oncology found that people diagnosed with cancer between 2020 and 2021 had worse short-term survival compared to people diagnosed with cancer between 2015 and 2019. Data for both of these studies came from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program.

To separate out deaths caused by COVID-19 from deaths caused by cancer, the authors of the recent JAMA Oncology publication used a metric called “cause-specific survival” from the SEER database. Cause-specific survival (CSS) measures the length of time from either the date of diagnosis or the start of treatment for a disease, such as cancer, to the date of death from the disease. Before the pandemic, the 1-year cause-specific survival increased each year from 2015 to 2019 for both cancers diagnosed in early and late stages. This means, each year, more people were alive 1 year after their cancer diagnosis.

The authors used SEER*Stat software to analyze population-based data. Between 2020 and 2021, more than 1 million people covered by SEER registries were diagnosed with cancer, and over 140,000 died within 1 year of diagnosis. Cases reported outside SEER-covered areas were not included in this analysis. The authors further examined stage at diagnosis and 1-year survival among cancers diagnosed in SEER-covered areas, grouping 2020 and 2021 diagnoses into early- and late-stage disease. In both groups, the 1-year cause-specific survival was lower than expected, breaking from the increasing trends from 2015 to 2019. While it is difficult to determine what specific causes of the decline in survival rates, the researchers note COVID-19 related healthcare disruptions affected the timeliness of cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment. The researchers estimate that these disruptions led to 17,390 excess cancer deaths in the first year of diagnosis between 2020 and 2021.

2025

SEER supported research finds disparities in lung cancer mortality between urban and rural populations

July 19, 2025 - American Cancer Society

In a new study of lung cancer mortality trends in the United States, researchers examined differences among Black and White populations, as well as urban and rural communities. The researchers—based at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program—reported that lung cancer death rates between Black and White men became more similar, but significant disparities remain between urban and rural populations. The more rapid decline in mortality rates in urban areas suggests that recent advancements in lung cancer treatment may be less accessible to rural populations. The findings were published in the journal Cancer.

Previous studies found higher lung cancer incidence and mortality rates in rural areas. For this study, the researchers—including Dr. Douglas Lowy, acting director of the National Cancer Institute—compared incidence and mortality trends by both race and urban-rural residence.

The authors analyzed data from death certificates and the U.S. Cancer Statistics public use database, which combines data from SEER registries and the CDC’s National Program of Cancer Registries. They measured lung cancer mortality (1990–2021) and incidence (2001–2021) trends by race, sex, and urban-rural status.

Since the 1990s, lung cancer death rates declined more rapidly for Black men, significantly narrowing the gap with White men. However, the death rate among White women remained consistently higher than that of Black women.

The researchers also found that rural areas had higher lung cancer incidence and mortality rates compared to urban areas. Other findings include:

• From 2013 to 2021, lung cancer incidence rates declined similarly among Black and White men in both urban and rural areas.
• Mortality rates decreased faster for urban Black and White men compared to their rural counterparts.
• Incidence and mortality rates declined faster for urban Black and White women than for rural women.

While the disparity in lung cancer mortality between White and Black men narrowed substantially, differences by urban-rural status persist. The authors suggest patients in urban areas had lower death rates due to better access to the latest advances in lung cancer treatment.