Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major and growing global health challenge, marked by stark disparities in incidence, mortality, and access to care between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The “Global Cancer Movement: Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer” Congress, a three-day virtual event, brought together international experts to examine these disparities and develop strategies to improve CRC outcomes worldwide. This paper synthesizes the congress’s key insights, assessing challenges in CRC prevention, diagnosis, and treatment across diverse settings and highlighting priority areas for action. The rising incidence of early-age onset CRC (EAOCRC) adds further complexity, demanding urgent research and tailored approaches. Addressing the global CRC burden requires investment in data systems, equitable access to screening and early diagnosis, context-specific therapeutic innovation, workforce and infrastructure development, and targeted EAOCRC strategies. Civil-society actors, particularly national NGOs, are instrumental in co-leading early detection and navigation initiatives with primary care and in ensuring uptake and follow-up at the community level. Strengthened global partnerships and cohesive policies are essential to closing the care gap and reducing the toll of this preventable and treatable disease.