August 12, 2025- In a new study led by the American Cancer Society (ACS), scientists found that after a stable 15-year trend, diagnoses of local-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) rose steeply in adults aged 45-49 years old during 2019 to 2022 in the United States, including a 50% relative increase from 2021 to 2022 (from 11.7 to 17.5 cases per 100,000). Local or early stage means the cancer is confined to the original site where it started and usually has no symptoms. The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The recommended age to begin CRC screening was lowered from 50 to 45 years by ACS in 2018 and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2021.