Early‑Onset Colorectal Cancer: Parsing an Epidemiologic Artifact from True Molecular Signals — Toward a Clinically Actionable Molecular Taxonomy

Early‑Onset Colorectal Cancer: Parsing an Epidemiologic Artifact from True Molecular Signals — Toward a Clinically Actionable Molecular Taxonomy

Integrated analysis shows a 2013 NEN classification change inflated EOCRC counts in the youngest adults, while independent molecular studies reveal distinct hypermutated and non‑hypermutated EOCRC subtypes with higher MSI/TMB and pathway-specific differences across populations. Implications for diagnosis, surveillance, and precision therapy are discussed.