Trends and projected burden of early-onset gastrointestinal malignancies in the United States: a population-based analysis (2001-2021)

The study highlights that early-onset CRC is not an isolated phenomenon but part of a broader epidemiologic shift across GI malignancies. The parallel rise in cancers of other sites suggests shared upstream risk factors or exposures and supports investigations into potential environmental, dietary, microbiome, and hormone risk factors.