Alexander M, et al. - Researchers examined if young patients exhibit a heightened risk for lymph node-positive colon and rectal cancers in the Department of Defense Military Health System, which renders universal healthcare to its beneficiaries. In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, they queried the US Department of Defense Automated Central Tumor Registry for patients who were diagnosed with histologically confirmed primary stage I to III colon and rectal adenocarcinomas between 1989 and 2013, had undergone surgery and had ≥ 1 lymph node examined, and did not take preoperative radiotherapy. Outcomes revealed that in a universal healthcare system, increased lymph node positivity of colon and rectal cancers correlated with young age. This implies the role of factors other than access to care in this association.