(NewsNation) — A new study has suggested childhood exposure to a gut toxin could be behind a spike in early-onset colorectal cancer.
Colibactin, produced by some E. coli strains, “imprints a distinct genetic signature on the DNA of colon cells — one that may increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer before the age of 50,” researchers said.
The study analyzed more than 980 colorectal cancer genomes from a wide set of patients across 11 countries, including those with early- and late-onset cancer.
Number of people under 55 diagnosed with colon cancer doubled in a decade
Researchers found colibactin changes part of a person’s microbiome, leaving behind DNA mutations that were 3.3 times more common in early-onset cases than those diagnosed after 70.
“These mutation patterns are a kind of historical record in the genome, and they point to early-life exposure to colibactin as a driving force behind early-onset disease,” said Ludmil Alexandrov, senior study author and UC San Diego professor.
Finding a potential leak is major for the future of colorectal cancer detection. In the last decade, the number of people under 55 diagnosed with the disease has almost doubled, per American Cancer Society data.
Medical oncologist Dr. Thomas Marron told NewsNation that, since colorectal cancer takes decades to develop, it is not surprising that the modern medical world is diagnosing more people in their 30s and 40s.
“I think that the two things that really jump out at me that have really changed over the past decades is the increased use of processed foods, which we know does change the mycobacterium, the bacteria that’s sitting in your gut, but also the overuse of antibiotics,” Marron told “Morning in America.“
Colon cancer screenings should start at 45
A change like colibactin in your gut’s microbiome — which has naturally occurring and sometimes helpful strains of E. coli in it — could “set us up for very early colon cancer,” Marron said.
He recommended that everyone, starting at age 45, talk to their doctor to set up a colon cancer screening or colonoscopy, regardless of whether they’re displaying symptoms like bloody stool or abnormal bowel movements.
“It’s really important to address this early on with your primary care doctor,” Marron said.