A startling rise in colon cancer cases among young people may be linked to an overlooked change in the gut, scientists say.
Researchers at UT Southwestern examined tissue from 33 colon cancer patients, including 14 under 50 years old, and found that in young patients, the colon had become unusually stiff and rigid.
The stiffened tissue caused cells to multiply faster, potentially raising the risk of dangerous mutations. It also raised the risk of scarring to the colon, which would trigger further cell growth.
Researchers said the stiffened tissue was driven by chronic inflammation, which altered collagen, a key structural protein in the colon, causing it to become rigid.
It was not clear what had triggered the chronic inflammation in patients, but in previous cases, poor diet, smoking, a lack of sleep and some chronic gastrointestinal conditions have been linked to inflammation.
Dr Emina Huang, a surgeon at UT Southwestern who led the study, told Daily Mail that the scientists were now working to establish the cause of the inflammation, saying: ‘We need to do both upstream and downstream analyses to sort matters out.’
She added: ‘This is the first study to highlight the key role of biomechanical forces in the pathogenesis of early-onset colorectal cancer.
‘We consider this study a significant advancement toward identifying those at risk of early onset colorectal cancer and finding new ways to treat them.’
Dr Huang said that the findings could help doctors detect people at higher risk of the disease and reveal new ways to prevent and treat the condition.
Bailey Hutchins of Tennessee, pictured, died of colon cancer at age 26
In the study, published in Advanced Science, researchers analyzed samples from cancerous tumors from all 33 participants and the non-cancerous cells that immediately surrounded them.
The samples were collected from patients during operative resections, procedures where the cancerous parts of the colon are removed. The surgery was carried out at William P Clements University Hospital and Parkland Health in Texas.
Analysis of the collagen in these samples revealed that it was denser and longer in early-onset colon cancer patients compared to those who developed the disease later in life, which the researchers said was making it more rigid.
Next, the scientists grew colon cancer cells in petri dishes on top of hydrogels that had differing levels of stiffness. This was to test how shifts in flexibility may affect cell growth.
Carly Barrett (pictured right), from Kentucky, was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 24 after detecting blood in her stool and suffering from abdominal pain. She is now in remission
They found that cells multiplied faster on hydrogels that were stiffer and more rigid, showing how the shift in the colon potentially raises the risk of colon cancer.
It was not clear what was behind the heightened inflammation, but the scientists wrote in the study: ‘Epidemiological studies indicate that lifestyle and environmental exposures may result in chronic inflammation, which is known to trigger tissue fibrosis [tissue rigidity].’
The findings come amid a worldwide explosion of colon cancers among younger patients that has baffled doctors.
Doctors are stumped as to the cause of the disease, but have recently shifted to suggesting shifts in the microbiome could be behind the change.
Many studies have blamed rising levels of obesity, poor diets and environmental factors for the shift.
Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease can also cause inflammation and people with this condition are up to three times more likely to develop colon cancer than the general population.
While the disease is most common in people over 50, it has surged by 50 percent in younger age groups over the past three decades, recent data suggests.
Latest official data for 2022 shows that 6.3 people per 100,000 individuals under 50 years old were diagnosed with the cancer. For comparison, in 2000 the rate was four per 100,000.
Since 2020, early-onset colon cancer cases have made up about 12 percent of all colon cancer diagnoses in the US, alarming officials.
