China's climbing colorectal cancer threat

LONDON – Significant population growth combined with lifestyle changes and increased awareness of the disease will result in a dramatic increase in prevalent cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) in China over the next decade, says leading research and consulting firm GlobalData.

The company’s latest epidemiology report* forecasts prevalent CRC cases in China to jump from fewer than 2 million cases in 2012 to 3.3 million cases by 2022 – an increase of 65% in only 10 years.

In comparison, Spain, the country with the second highest increase in prevalent cases of the nine major markets studied in the report, is predicted to grow by 41% during the same period.

While GlobalData believes China’s above-average population growth to be the primary driver for this worrying increase in CRC prevalence, shifting living standards and improving healthcare awareness are also important contributors, as this increases the likelihood of sufferers being correctly diagnosed with the disease. According to the report, the incidence of CRC in China increased from about 30 cases per 100,000 people per year in 1988 to about 50 cases per 100,000 people in 2002.

India, which is set to outpace China in terms of population growth over the next decade, is expected to experience a less substantial increase in CRC prevalent cases, at a comparatively low 24%.