ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Colorectal Cancer
This article is part of the Research TopicNational Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month 2025: Current Progress and Future Prospects on Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis and TreatmentView all 18 articles
Global, regional and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the GBD 2021
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Zhuhai Hospital (Jinwan Central Hospital of Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
- 2Department of Experimental Management at Academic Affairs Office, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, China
- 3Department of Basic Teaching and Research in General Medicine, Department of Fundamentals, Zhuhai Campus of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, China
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Objective: This research seeks to undertake a thorough analysis of the burden of CRC at global, regional, and national levels, along with its associated risk factors, spanning the period from 1990 to 2021. This analysis will employ data sourced from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study, addressing limitations in previous research by providing a more detailed and updated assessment. Methods: We assessed the distribution of CRC across 204 countries and territories, focusing on age, gender, and geographic variations. The impact of key risk factors (including behavioral risks, metabolic risks, behavioral risks, metabolic risks) on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was evaluated across 21 GBD regions. A Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model was employed to project CRC trends over the next three decades. Findings: In 2021, global CRC incidence was approximately 2,194,143 cases, with a prevalence of 11,679,120 and 24,401,100 DALYs. Central Europe exhibited the highest burden, with incidence peaking among individuals aged 84 to 94 years. From 1990 to 2021, age-standardized incidence, mortality, and DALY rates for CRC showed upward trends, particularly among males. The analysis of risk factors across 21 GBD regions reveals significant regional disparities in the colorectal cancer (CRC) burden, with Central Europe showing the highest contribution from risk factors (305.66). Behavioral risks, such as smoking and high alcohol use, have the greatest impact, followed by dietary risks (particularly low whole grain intake and high processed meat consumption) and metabolic risks (including high BMI and high fasting plasma glucose). By 2051, the global ASIR, ASMR, and ASDR of CRC are projected to reach 18.21 (95% UI: 10.83–25.59), 7.10 (95% UI: 4.36–9.84), and 165.21 (95% UI: 102.48–227.93) per 100,000 population, respectively, with the burden remaining higher in males than in females. Conclusion: This study provides the most granular assessment of CRC burden to date, highlighting dietary policies and sex-specific interventions as priorities. Methodological advancements in projection modeling offer actionable insights for long-term public health planning.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, Global burden of disease, Bayesian age-period-cohort model, Disability-adjusted life years, Age-standardized incidence rate, Age-standardized mortality rate, Age-Standardized Disability-adjusted Life Years Rate, social demographic index
Received: 25 Jul 2025; Accepted: 10 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zeng, Wang, Liu, Chen, Liang, Zhuo, Zhang and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xuan Zeng, 356541837@qq.com
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