New findings from researchers at Cleveland Clinic have revealed that bacteria in tumors from patients with young-onset colorectal cancer are compositionally distinct, which could help inform targeted approaches to screening and treatments.
Researchers used gene sequencing technology to compare tissue samples from 136 colon cancer patients younger than 50 with samples from 130 average-age patients. Among the younger cohort, researchers found unique tumor-related bacteria and that they were more likely to have left-sided, rectal and advanced stage tumors.
In the U.S., cancer diagnosis rates among people under 50 have jumped to 107.8 per 100,000 people by 2019, up 13% from the rate in 2000. Colon cancer trends have been particularly concerning as the proportion of colon cancer diagnoses among people younger than 55 increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.
"The unexplained rise of young-onset colorectal cancer is of great concern," Alok Khorana, MD, an oncologist at Cleveland Clinic and primary author on the study, said in a Feb. 5 news release. "Our team discovered that bacteria were more abundant and compositionally distinct in tumors from young-onset patients. These insights help us better understand the disease causes and inform new prevention approaches, diagnostic markers, and therapeutic targets."