Why are young adults getting colorectal cancer? E. coli may be a clue

Exposure to a bacterial toxin in childhood may be playing a key role in the global rise of early onset of colorectal cancer, according to a new study.

Exposure to a bacterial toxin in childhood may be playing a key role in the global rise of early onset of colorectal cancer, according to a new study.

The study, published April 23 in Nature, found that a toxin called colibactin, produced by certain strains of E. coli that live in the colon and rectum, is capable of altering DNA.

The researchers from the University of California reported that early exposure to colibactin leaves a unique mark on colon cell DNA — one that could bump up your chances of getting colorectal cancer before 50.

However, it’s important to note that the study did not prove colibactin caused cancer, it only identified a link between mutations linked to the toxin and early-onset disease.

“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 study senior author Ludmil Alexandrov, professor in the department of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California San Diego.

“If someone acquires one of these driver mutations by the time they’re 10 years old, they could be decades ahead of schedule for developing colorectal cancer, getting it at age 40 instead of 60,” he said in a media release.

Colorectal cancer includes two types of cancers: cancer of the colon and cancer of the rectum.

Generally, it spreads more slowly than many other cancers, often lingering in the colon or rectum for months or even years before spreading elsewhere. That means if it’s detected early, treatment is usually very effective.