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KNOWLEDGE FOR POLICY

Supporting policy with scientific evidence

We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe.

Publication | 2024

Colorectal Cancer and Related Screening Inequalities in Europe

March is colorectal cancer awareness month, a time to turn the spotlight on the second most prevalent cancer in Europe, which starkly claimed 159.000 lives in 2022 alone. With 356.000 new cases diagnosed, we observe that it's not just our senior population that's at risk. Alarmingly, we see growing incidence in younger individuals, signalling a need for urgent attention and action.

A pie chart of the percentage contribution of estimated mortality by cancer site

 

Figure 1. Percentage contribution of estimated mortality by cancer site (European Cancer Information System - ECIS, 2022). Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Europe, contributing 13% to all cancer incidence and 12% to all cancer-related deaths.

We urgently need to understand what causes colorectal cancer as we found that genetics does not always hold the key. The vast majority of those diagnosed have no family history to speak of, pointing us toward lifestyle factors. There is indeed strong evidence that obesity, alcohol drinking, smoking and consumption of high amounts of red and processed meat raise risk of colorectal cancer. On the contrary, being more physically active and eating a diet high in fibre and rich in whole and unprocessed foods lowers risk. Participation in colorectal cancer screening also reduces risk of the disease. However, beyond these factors, we don’t fully understand the causes of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer remains a significant health challenge across Europe. We can all take proactive steps by participating in regular screenings, adopting healthier lifestyles, and encouraging loved ones to do the same.

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To contribute to the Colorectal cancer awareness activities, the European Cancer Inequalities Registry (ECIR) has just published a new factsheet: ‘Uncovering Inequalities: Colorectal Cancer Screening in Europe’.

The factsheet identifies inequalities related to colorectal cancer screening. There are differences between Member States in the implementation of screening schemes, their coverage, participation rates and programmes methods applied.

Organised population-based colorectal cancer screening is an effective strategy in lowering colorectal cancer incidence (by detecting pre-cancerous lesions) and mortality (early detection in lower stages of disease). The European Commission Initiative for Colorectal Cancer (ECICC) started in 2022 and is already providing evidence-based guidelines for cancer screening. The guidelines will be regularly updated and accompanied by a quality assurance scheme, which is a vehicle for their implementation.

It is estimated that 55% of colorectal cancers could be prevented by following a healthy diet, reduction of alcohol intake and maintaining a healthy body weight. Read more about prevention of colorectal cancer on the recently updated section in the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Knowledge Gateway.