Discussion
Colorectal cancer incidence rates from 1982-87 through 1998-2002 increased for both males and females in 27 of the 51 cancer registries included in this analysis. The increase was largely confined to economically transitioning countries with rates for males in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Japan in 1998-2002 exceeding those in long-standing economically developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. In contrast, incidence rates stabilized in the majority of developed countries and only decreased in the United States.