Colorectal cancer is a disease that affects the colon or rectum, parts of our digestive system.
These days, fewer people aged 50 and older are getting this cancer or dying from it. But for folks under 50, it’s a different story. More and more of them are facing this illness.
A New Study on Early Onset Colorectal Cancer
A team led by Dr. Thomas Imperiale set out to understand why this was happening. Dr. Imperiale works for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Regenstrief Institute, and Indiana University School of Medicine.
The team studied how early onset colorectal cancer affects males. They wanted to find out which factors increase the risk of getting this cancer.
Their goal was to help men between 45 and 49 make better choices about cancer screening.
Why This Study Matters
Dr. Imperiale said the study could help doctors decide who needs screening before they turn 45. The age for recommended colorectal cancer screening is currently 45.
He said, “While the risk of colon cancer is still low for young people, it’s growing. That’s why we need to identify those at higher risk and consider screening them.”
He added, “Doctors might suggest a patient consider a noninvasive screening test. This could be a fecal occult blood test or a multi-target stool DNA test.
It doesn’t have to be a colonoscopy. Doing some screening could be a good idea for men under 45 who are at higher risk.”
What The Study Found
The team looked at data from 600 men with colon or rectal cancer. They also looked at data from 2,400 control patients who did not have cancer.
They used health record data from VA medical centers across the U.S. All participants were male veterans between 35 and 49 years old.
The team found 15 factors linked with early onset colorectal cancer. But they simplified this to seven main factors. They said these seven were easier to use to predict risk. The factors were:
- Older age (within the 35- to 49-year-old age range)
- Not using anti-inflammatory drugs (like aspirin or ibuprofen) regularly
- Not using statins regularly
- Drinking alcohol now
- Having a close family member with colorectal cancer
- Having a higher disease burden
- Having a service-connection/copay variable (this shows socio-economic status)
Dr. Imperiale said these factors apply to all men, not just veterans. He’s now studying risk factors for early onset colorectal cancer in female veterans.
The results of the study were published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. They show that men in certain situations have a higher risk of early onset colorectal cancer.
Understanding these risks can help doctors and patients make better decisions about screening.
If you care about colon health, please read studies about whether aspirin could lower colon cancer risk in older people, and this drug may lower death risk in colon cancer.
For more information about colon health, please see recent studies about how to protect yourself from colon cancer, and results showing this vitamin level in the body is linked to colon cancer risk.
The study was published in Cancer Prevention Research.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
