Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 8: A new study by the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) in Bengaluru has found that a majority of colorectal cancer patients in India are diagnosed only after the disease has progressed to advanced stages, highlighting the urgent need for wider screening and greater public awareness.

The study, led by Pavan Sugoor from the institute’s Department of Surgical Oncology, analysed 831 colorectal cancer patients treated at the hospital between January 2021 and February 2025.

According to the findings, 58 per cent of patients were diagnosed in Stage III, while 25.5 per cent had already reached Stage IV by the time they sought treatment. The average age of patients was 52.7 years, and nearly 30 per cent were younger than 45, indicating a worrying rise in early-onset colorectal cancer in India.

Dr Sugoor said the findings reflect a broader trend observed by clinicians across the country.

“The study shows that a large proportion of colorectal cancer patients in India present to hospitals at an advanced stage of the disease. Delayed diagnosis significantly affects treatment outcomes and highlights the need for improved screening and awareness,” he said.

The study, titled ‘Clinicopathological and Demographic Spectrum of Colorectal Cancer’, was published on February 26, 2026 in the South Asian Journal of Cancer.

The research identified distinct disease patterns among Indian patients. Rectal cancers accounted for 64 per cent of cases, while 36 per cent originated in the colon.

The most common tumour type was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, which made up nearly 78.6 per cent of cases.

Researchers also observed relatively high proportions of aggressive tumour sub-types, including mucinous cancers (11.4 per cent) and signet-ring cell cancers (7.6 per cent), both associated with poorer outcomes.

“These aggressive histological sub-types appear more frequently in our patient population than in many higher-income countries, which may partly relate to the younger age at which patients are developing colorectal cancer,” Dr Sugoor explained.

The study also highlighted gender-related differences. Women were more likely to be diagnosed at a more advanced tumour stage, and higher illiteracy rates were observed among female patients — factors that may contribute to delays in seeking medical care.

Globally, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, accounting for nearly 10 per cent of the overall cancer burden.

A recent State of Screening Study 2026 by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance found that colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among adults under 50 in the United States.

The report also highlighted major awareness gaps, with more than half of adults unaware that the disease is largely preventable and that screening tests can even be conducted at home.

Another finding showed that 45 per cent of adults under 45 reported their symptoms had been dismissed by a physician — a trend doctors say is increasingly being observed in India as well.

Experts attribute the rising number of cases to lifestyle changes such as sedentary habits, unhealthy dietary patterns, increasing obesity and diabetes, along with limited awareness of early symptoms and screening.

The study noted a major gap in preventive care, with fewer than 10 per cent of eligible people in India undergoing colorectal cancer screening.

With March observed globally as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, doctors are urging people to watch out for warning signs such as persistent abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, blood in stool, unexplained weight loss or prolonged fatigue.

Early detection, they stressed, remains the most effective way to reduce deaths from the disease.