Epidemiology and Etiology

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy worldwide. The incidence is higher in Western industrialized countries, with an estimated 147,950 new cases in the US in 2020.¹ Risk factors include age >50, physical inactivity, obesity, type 2 diabetes, diet with increased red meat and decreased fiber, alcohol consumption, personal history of polyps or colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, positive family history, and hereditary cancer syndromes such as Lynch syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis.