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TOPLINE:

From 2000 to 2021, the incidence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma rose among all age groups in the United States, with the highest increase in those aged 15-34 years. During the same period, the overall incidence of colorectal adenocarcinoma declined, though rates increased among younger individuals.

METHODOLOGY:

• Pancreatic and colorectal cancer are the seventh and second leading causes of cancer death worldwide, respectively, with increasing incidence among younger populations raising concern.
• Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to report updated incidence trends for pancreatic and colorectal adenocarcinomas from 2000 to 2021, focusing on annual percentage changes (APCs) in younger age groups.
• Certain pancreatic cancer subtypes, including squamous cell carcinoma, mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, and neuroendocrine tumors, were excluded due to their rarity and varying biologic characteristics.

TAKEAWAY:

• Researchers identified 275,273 cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (51.8% men) from 2000 to 2021.
• Pancreatic adenocarcinoma incidence rose across all age groups, with the highest APC (4.35) observed in those aged 15-34 years, which was significantly higher than the APC in those aged ≥ 55 years (1.74; P = .007) and 35-54 years (1.54; P = .004).
• Overall, 1,215,200 cases of colorectal adenocarcinoma (52.8% men) were identified.
• Although the overall incidence of colorectal adenocarcinoma declined, younger age groups showed increases. The APC was −3.31 in those aged ≥ 55 years, significantly lower than the APCs of 1.75 in those aged 15-34 years (P = .001) and 0.78 in those aged 35-54 years (P = .002).

IN PRACTICE:

“We show in this national cohort the worrisome trend of increasing pancreatic adenocarcinoma in all age groups and the increasing incidence of colorectal adenocarcinoma in the youngest age groups. Heightened awareness of this trend is necessary when evaluating younger patients with possible corresponding symptoms,” authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Arvind Bussetty, MD, Department of Medicine, Rutgers University School of Medicine, New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was published online in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS:

The SEER database covered only 47.9% of the US population. Although the study provided reliable data for common cancers, it may be less accurate for rare types, affecting study homogeneity.

DISCLOSURES:

No study funding sources were reported. Two authors reported receiving personal fees from various pharmaceutical companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.