Scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have found a possible reason why more young people are getting colorectal cancer. Their research shows that a poison made by some E. coli bacteria, which are normally present in our gut and aid in digestion, might be causing this cancer in younger adults.
The study, published in Nature, examined cancer samples from almost 1,000 people worldwide. The researchers found that changes to DNA caused by a toxin called colibactin, a harmful substance produced by certain strains of E. coli, were three times more common in cancers that started early in life than those that developed later. These DNA changes usually happen at the beginning of tumor growth, which suggests they play a key role in starting the cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in America. About 150,000 Americans get it each year, and around 50,000 die from it. While overall rates have gone down over time, cases in people under 50 have risen by 2.4% each year from 2012 to 2021.
Scientists already knew that colibactin could damage cells in ways that might lead to cancer. What's new is the connection to early-onset cases. Research shows these DNA changes often happen in the first ten years of life, which might explain why some people develop this cancer at
younger ages.
The team noticed that these colibactin-related changes rarely showed up in samples from rural areas. This suggests that factors within our control, such as diet or antibiotic use, might influence whether harmful E. coli grows in the gut. This underscores the importance of making informed choices about our health.
The researchers are now exploring potential treatments, including probiotics that might eliminate harmful E. coli and tests that could detect colibactin-related DNA damage early. This study underscores the importance of ongoing research and the potential for new discoveries to shape our understanding and treatment of colorectal cancer.
