Colorectal cancer in African Americans

In the United States, African Americans have the highest incidence of colorectal cancer of any racial or ethnic group. Compared with whites, African Americans have a younger mean age at colorectal cancer diagnosis and a greater proportion have proximal cancers. Survival in African Americans with colorectal cancer is lower than in whites. Currently, there are no established biological explanations for these differences in colorectal cancer between African Americans and whites. As leaders in the prevention and early diagnosis of colorectal cancer in the United States, clinical gastroenterologists can play an important role in promoting colorectal cancer awareness and the need for screening in African Americans.