WCM-Q researchers probe links between insulin resistance and colorectal cancer

Doha, Qatar: Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar (WCM Q) have explored the possible links between insulin resistance and early onset colorecta...

Doha, Qatar: Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have explored the possible links between insulin resistance and early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) in a new article published in Cancer Cell (Cell Press), a leading scientific journal.

Cancer, regardless of type, is generally considered a disease that occurs later in life, typically after 50-60 years of age. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), USA, indicates that the median age of a cancer diagnosis is 66. However, more recently, younger individuals under the age of 45-50 have been diagnosed with cancers (early-onset cancers; EOCs).

Although this shifting trend in cancer epidemiology has been reported previously, this occurrence gained significant attention in early 2024, with many major news outlets and research/medical institutions reporting a rise in EOCs. Among the various EOCs, gastrointestinal cancers, particularly colorectal cancer (CRC), seem to be rapidly increasing among the younger population. This trend appears similar for countries in the MENA region, including Qatar.

“As cancer researchers, we were captivated by the question of ‘why this is happening?’” said Professor of physiology and biophysics, Prof. Dr. Dietrich Büsselberg, one of the co-corresponding authors of the article.

“It is well known that genetic mutations that cause CRC and hereditary CRC-associated syndromes are highly penetrant and increase the risk of CRC. However, it is unlikely that this risk factor alone has changed so dramatically in successive generations of the population to account for the significant increase in EOCRC in recent years."