Increased burden of colorectal cancer in Asia.

The incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) is rising rapidly in Asia. It seems that ethnicity has an important etiological role in CRC in Asia. However the incidence, anatomical distribution and mortality of CRC among Asian populations are not different from those in Western countries. There is little support by health authorities for CRC screening and very low public awareness of this emerging epidemic in Asia. The increasing rate of CRC in Asia means that we need to take action immediately to prevent CRC and to diagnose the disease at the early stages by introducing CRC screening in countries at high risk of an increasing burden of CRC.