World Digestive Health Day 2022: Reducing the burden of colorectal cancer

(Vienna, May 25, 2022) This year, the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) will draw attention to colorectal cancer (CRC) to mark World Digestive Health Day.

 CRC is the most common digestive cancer. Although the prognosis for CRC patients has improved in recent years due to remarkable improvements in therapy for both early-stage and late-stage disease, more than 150,000 individuals still die of CRC in Europe every year.

Unhealthy lifestyles, such as diet high in processed foods, smoking, and alcohol consumption, and lifestyle-related diseases, such as obesity, are linked to the development of CRC. Promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyle choices is key in reducing an individual’s risk of developing CRC. This can be achieved through the introduction of policies to limit consumption of fast food, the intake of processed and ultra-processed food, and cigarette smoking.

In addition to promoting healthier lifestyle, screening programmes are important to reduce the burden of CRC through the removal of polyps and detection of CRC in an early, curable stage.

Professor Patrizia Burra, Chair of the UEG Public Affairs Committee, comments, “Whilst clear progress has been made regarding the implementation of CRC screening programmes in the EU, there are still large differences between Member States in both the quality and participation in these programmes.”

“UEG welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to update the 2003 Council recommendations on cancer screening”, explains Professor Burra. “By utilising the latest available information, UEG has provided calls to policymakers to inform decision making and ensure the successful implementation of colorectal cancer screening across the continent.”

UEG calls to action to policymakers about CRC screening: 

• Expanding organised, population-based CRC screening programmes across Europe, with modern quality assurance and equal access to screening information
• Embedding research to quantify the benefits and harms of different CRC screening tests and applications
• Developing risk-based screening algorithms based on age, sex, genetic risk and lifestyle factors to enable personalised CRC screening

There is an opportunity to use individual risk-based assessments to identify those at the highest risk of developing CRC and who should, therefore, be targeted by screening.

Professor Michael Bretthauer, member of the UEG Public Affairs Committee, comments, “Understanding an individual’s risk of cancer can help determine the benefits of screening tests for their own situation.”

“By analysing someone’s risk factors, including their age, medical and family history, and smoking status, we can calculate personal risk. Clinical practice guidelines and tools4 can be used by healthcare professionals with their patients to enable shared decision-making and provide optimal and informed care.”