Findings from the American Cancer Society's triennial report, Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, show that rates of colorectal cancer are decreasing in older adults; however, rates of colorectal cancer incidence in younger adults continue to increase, with a greater proportion of these cancers being rectal cancers than found in prior years. The report was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said lead report author Rebecca L. Siegel, MPH, Senior Scientific Director, Cancer Surveillance Research at the ACS. “We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people [aged] 45 [to] 54 years."
Report Background
Colorectal cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States, and it is also the third most common cancer in the country among both men and women. The ACS reports on rates of colorectal cancer incidence and mortality every 3 years to determine changing trends and areas of concern. Data are collected from population-based cancer registries and National Center for Health Statistics.
Key 2026 Report Findings
The incidence of colorectal cancer declined by 0.9% annually between 2013 and 2022, especially due to decreases in the incidence of colorectal cancer in adults aged 65 years and older.
On the other hand, incidence rates of colorectal cancer among patients aged 20 to 49 years increased by 3% per year; among adults between the ages of 50 and 64 years, incidence rates increased by 0.4% per year. These increasing rates were predominantly driven by cancers of the distal colon and rectum.
Between 2018 and 2022, the overall incidence of rectal cancer increased by 1% per year, which is notable as this rate had previously been in decline. Now, rectal cancers account for 32% of all colorectal cancers, which has increased from 27% from the mid-2000s.
Colorectal cancer mortality has increased in adults under 50 years of age by 1% per year since 2004. On the other hand, mortality rates in adults 65 years and older have decreased by 2.3% per year since 2012.
The report also highlighted that an estimated 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2026, with 55,230 people expected to die from the disease this year.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said William L. Dahut, MD, Chief Scientific Officer at the ACS. “The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
DISCLOSURE: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit acsjournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
