Bowel cancer in young people is on the rise. Childhood toxin exposure could be the cause
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Toxin could be linked to rise in bowel cancer in young people
- Scientists have discovered a potential link between colibactin, a toxin produced by E. coli, and the increasing rates of bowel cancer in young people.
- Colibactin can alter DNA and may increase the risk of bowel cancer before age 50 by imprinting a genetic signature on bowel cells in early childhood.
- A study found colibactin-related DNA mutations were 3.3 times more common in early-onset bowel cancer cases (under 40) than in those diagnosed after 70.
- These mutations were also more prevalent in countries with higher early-onset bowel cancer rates.
- Researchers are developing early detection tests that analyse stool samples for colibactin-related mutations.