50 岁之前发生的结直肠癌被定义为早发性结直肠癌 (EOCRC)。自 20 世纪 90 年代末以来，其发病率令人担忧地增加，并且预计在未来将继续上升，尽管晚发性结直肠癌 (LOCRC) 在全球范围内正在减少。因此，迫切需要更好地了解这部分患者，以便为他们提供最好的治疗。然而，大多数文献都是回顾性的，而且常常不一致。在这篇评论中，我们的目标是提供该问题的总体概述，努力强调当前可用的知识。我们决定从头开始，研究风险因素和遗传，通过诊断和临床方面，最后以转化部分结束，重点关注肿瘤的生物学。然而，许多问题仍然悬而未决，包括筛查年龄和预后。事实上，年轻患者往往会接受更积极的治疗，即使生存益处尚未得到证实。每个临床医生都应该了解年轻人的最佳实践，并且等待更多的转化研究来澄清 EOCRC 是否代表一个独特的生物实体。版权所有 © 2024 作者。由爱思唯尔有限公司出版。保留所有权利。

Colorectal cancer that occurs before age of 50 is defined as Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer (EOCRC). Its incidence has worryingly increased since the late 90 s and is expected to keep rising in the next future, despite Late-Onset CRC (LOCRC) is decreasing worldwide. Because of this, there is an urgent need to better understand this subset of patients in order to give them the best treatment possible. However, most of the literature is retrospective and often discordant. In this review, we aim to provide a general overview of the issue, endeavoring to highlight the current available knowledge. We decided to move from the beginning, investigating risk factors and inheritance, passing through diagnosis and clinical aspects, and to conclude with the translational part, focusing on the biology of the tumor. However, lot of questions remain open, including screening age and prognosis. Indeed, young patients tend to be treated more aggressively, even if a survival benefit has not been proven yet. Every clinician should be aware of the best practice for young people, and more translational studies are awaited in order to clarify is EOCRC represents a distinct biological entity.Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.