Early Onset Colorectal Cancer: Epidemiology and Etiology

Dear Colleagues,

Early Onset Colorectal Cancer (EO-CRC), occurring in individuals younger than 50 years of age, has been noted to be increasing in incidence in the U.S. and many countries around the world. The emergence of EO-CRC is particularly notable, since the overall incidence of CRC is decreasing, presumably due to widespread screening resulting in early detection and treatment of premalignant lesions. The apparent shift in occurrence of CRC to EO-CRC presents multiple challenges to our understanding and approach to CRC carcinogenesis. It is especially concerning, since EO-CRC is reported to have worse prognosis than CRC, and also because it is more likely to impact individuals in their prime productive years. Prognosis of EO-CRC may be associated with distinct anatomical distribution and/or molecular phenotypes. In addition, EO-CRC has been noted among unique populations where it may be related to genetics, exposures, and/or may be associated with disparities in care. Epidemiologic and molecular studies suggest contributions from family history, obesity, maternal obesity, antibiotic use and specific dietary components.

We are pleased to invite you to submit an article for this special issue of Cancers focused on better defining epidemiologic and etiologic factors as well as animal models that will contribute to better understanding and possible mechanisms and translational insights that may contribute to early detection, prevention, control and/or therapy of EO-CRC. In this special issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Nathan A. Berger
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.