Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second deadliest cancer globally. In 2020, the number of colorectal cancer diagnoses worldwide was about 1.9 million.

Older age, a history of bowel disease, a family history of related diseases, having type 2 diabetes, being overweight or obese, certain types of diet, smoking, and drinking are all risk factors that can lead to colorectal cancer. In recent years, the incidence rate of colorectal cancer among young people has also been increasing significantly.

As the tumor grows, patients may experience one or multiple symptoms, including blood in the stool, abdominal pain, and bloating, among others.

However, colorectal cancer usually does not show any symptoms in the early stages, which causes nearly 50% of patients not be detected until they reach the third or fourth stage and miss the best time for treatment. If colorectal cancer is diagnosed at a early stage, the 5-year relative survival rate of patients can be as high as 90%. Conversely, if it is stage IV at the time of discovery, the 5-year survival rate will be reduced to only about 10%.