One Type Of Cancer Is Increasing Quickly Among Young People, And Bacteria Might Be The Cause

An international team studied cancer tissue samples from 981 people in 11 countries, looking for DNA mutations. In more than half of early-onset cases, colibactin damage was linked to the mutations.

Researchers have linked colibactin to this cancer, but they haven’t studied its role in patients under 50. This may help explain why colorectal cancer is on track to become the leading cause of cancer deaths among young adults.

“Global Study Identifies Colibactin-Related Mutations in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Cases”

An international team studied cancer tissue samples from 981 people in 11 countries for DNA genome. In over half of the early-onset cases, the mutations corresponded to damage linked to colibactin.

“These mutation patterns suggest early colibactin exposure may trigger early-onset disease,” says biologist Ludmil Alexandrov from UC San Diego.

The exact exposure method is unclear, but some Escherichia coli strains in the gut produce colibactin. Current data indicates that the harmful exposure likely takes place within the first decade of life.

Childhood infections likely trigger colibactin production, damaging DNA in the bowel. These mutations can increase the risk of cancer later in life, often long after the colibactin is no longer present.

Colibactin-related DNA mutations were 3.3 times more common in adults diagnosed before 40 than in those diagnosed at 70 or older. In older individuals, the DNA patterns were more frequently linked to normal aging.

Alexandrov says, “A driver mutation acquired by age 10 could lead to colorectal cancer decades earlier, possibly at 40 instead of 60.”

“Contributing Factors to the Rising Incidence of Colorectal Cancer in Younger Populations”

Previous studies link the rise in colorectal cancer in younger individuals to ultra-processed foods and excess sugary or alcoholic drinks.

The suggestion here is that lifestyle or environmental factors early in life may also play a role in triggering the disease. “However, researchers still need to confirm this, and with recent cuts to science funding in the US, such research remains uncertain.”

The researchers also aim to explore ways to protect against colibactin and its associated DNA damage, as well as examine how various factors influencing cancer risk may differ across countries.

Computational biologist Marcos Díaz-Gay from the Spanish National Cancer Research Center says, “Different countries may have distinct, unidentified causes, which could lead to the development of targeted, region-specific prevention strategies.”

Read the original article on: Sciencealert

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