CRC incidence and mortality in European countries in the CRC screening era

A population-based study in 21 European countries (nearly 3.1 million CRC patients; 2000-2015) found divergent trends in colorectal cancer incidence, mortality, and stage distribution across countries, which appear to be largely explained by different levels of colorectal cancer screening implementation. In countries with long-standing programmes CRC incidence decreased substantially over time. In countries where programmes were implemented during the study period, the incidence remained stable of increased up to the year the screening was implemented, and decreased afterwards. In most countries without large-scale screening programmes the incidence increased. The largest decreases in CRC mortality were seen in countries with long-standing screening programmes.