Colorectal cancer patients who are younger than 50 have a better survival rate than those diagnosed later, a study from New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University found.
Researchers analyzed data from the National Cancer Database between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2015, according to an April 10 news release. Nearly 770,000 colorectal cancer patients were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression.
The study found younger patients had a 5 percent lower risk of death compared to those diagnosed between 51 and 55. The survival advantage was greatest for patients ages 35 to 39 with stage 1 and 2 cancer.
Lead author En Cheng, MD, said the findings reinforce the importance of early colorectal cancer detection in young people, but more studies are needed to verify the survival advantage.