A new study has given scientists the most detailed look so far at the genes involved in colorectal cancer, which is one of the top causes of cancer-related death around the world.
Like other cancers, colorectal cancer starts when certain genes in our body change and cause cells to grow too much. These changes can lead to tumors and spread in the body. Although many people have this disease, we still don’t fully understand all the gene changes that cause it.
This new research, led by scientists from top universities in the U.K.—including The Institute of Cancer Research in London, the University of Oxford, and the University of Manchester—has helped fill in many missing pieces.
The study was published in the journal Nature and is seen as a big step forward in how we understand, treat, and manage colorectal cancer.
The team used data from 2,023 bowel cancer samples collected through the 100,000 Genomes Project, which is a large effort by Genomics England and NHS England. This allowed the researchers to find new gene mutations that help cause colorectal cancer.
They also found new “sub-groups” of this cancer, which means there are different types of the disease depending on the genetic changes involved. These sub-groups can behave differently and respond in different ways to treatment.
The scientists discovered over 250 genes that play important roles in colorectal cancer. Most of these genes had never been linked to cancer before. This means we now have many more clues about what causes the disease.
They also found four major sub-groups of colorectal cancer based on genetic features. Each of these groups seems to lead to different health outcomes for patients. There were also some rare sub-groups found, and these may require special treatments in the future.
Another important discovery was that different areas of the colon can have different types of gene changes. For example, in younger patients, one type of genetic change was more common. The exact reason isn’t known yet, but it could be due to things like smoking or diet.
Some of the mutations found in this study might be treated with drugs that already exist for other types of cancer. This could mean faster progress in finding better treatments for people with colorectal cancer.
Professor Ian Tomlinson from Oxford said that these results help us better predict how patients will do and may help doctors choose better treatments based on a person’s genes. Some of these treatments might be drugs that aren’t normally used for bowel cancer.
This study also offers useful data for scientists everywhere. The information is now available to researchers who want to explore these findings further.
Professor Richard Houlston from London said the study gave us a better picture of how this cancer grows and reacts to treatments. He hopes the new knowledge will help doctors provide more personalized treatments for patients.
Professor David Wedge from Manchester pointed out that this is one of the first big discoveries from the 100,000 Genomes Project, and it’s likely that more cancer studies will follow using this data.
Dr. Henry Wood from the University of Leeds added another exciting note: this study also looked at the microbiome—bacteria and viruses in our gut—and how they relate to colorectal cancer.
This is the first time researchers have done this with such a large number of cancer cases. It could lead to future treatments that involve changing the gut microbiome to improve health.
In short, this study is a major advance in understanding colorectal cancer. It could lead to better treatments and better results for patients in the future.
If you care about cancer, please see recent studies about new way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors, and results showing new way to supercharge cancer-fighting T cells.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing that vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
