A study published in the journal Nature suggests childhood exposure to a bacterial toxin is driving the increase in early-onset colorectal cancer.
Certain strains of E. coli and other gut bacteria produce a genotoxin called colibactin, which damages the DNA in colon cells. Researchers believe the mutation may increase the risk of developing cancer before the age of 50.
The international team analyzed 981 colorectal cancer genomes from patients and found DNA damage from colibactin was most common in early-onset cases.
“In the young individuals, we saw that more than 50% of (colorectal cancer patients) under the age of 40 will have these specific types of mutations due to colibactin,” said Ludmil Alexandrov, Ph.D., a professor at University of California San Diego and one of the study’s authors.
The findings raise new questions. How are children being exposed to colibactin-producing bacteria and what can be done about it? In this video, we look for some possible answers.
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