Announcing the Lancet Commission on colorectal cancer: addressing the rising global burden

Colorectal cancer is a major global health burden, accounting for about 10% of all cancer incidence and nearly 1 million deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2022.1,2 Projections indicate that this burden will increase substantially in the coming decades, reaching more than 3·2 million new cases and 1·6 million deaths annually by 2040.3 The epidemiological landscape of colorectal cancer is evolving, with a rapid shift towards younger age at diagnosis, more advanced stage at presentation, and a higher proportion of left-sided tumours.4,5 Global cancer burden analyses show that age-standardised incidence rate rose from approximately 22·2 to 26·7 per 100 000 population between 1990 and 2019, with rapid increases in younger cohorts.6 This trend is observed in countries across all socio-demographic regions. These shifts reflect changes in population ageing, urbanisation, lifestyle, dietary behaviours, environmental exposures, and other factors that remain incompletely understood, placing a growing strain on health systems worldwide. The Lancet Commission on Colorectal Cancer is therefore timely and will synthesise emerging evidence, identify gaps across the continuum of care, and develop actionable, globally relevant strategies to reduce the burden of colorectal cancer.