Kamal Saini, Global Head, Oncology Therapeutic Expertise at Fortrea, shared on LinkedIn:
“Early – onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC, diagnosed at <50 yrs) is increasing globally and is associated with left – sided tumors, aggressive features, and advanced stage at diagnosis.
Our recently published study included comprehensive genomic and immune profiling of 274 EOCRC and 1463 late – onset CRC cases (lab analysis lead by Kyle Strickland and Shakti Ramkissoon of Labcorp) and showed that EOCRC has lower tumour mutational burden TMB than LOCRC, with a statistically significant difference persisting even after adjustment for multiple comparisons (q = 0.003).
Additionally, literature review shows that the intestinal microbiome appears altered in EOCRC, with increased abundance of pro – carcinogenic bacteria such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and reduced levels of butyrate – producing bacteria, suggesting a contributory role of microbial dysbiosis in cancer development among younger individuals.
Future research should integrate genomics, metabolomics, microbiome profiling, and non – invasive approaches such as liquid biopsy, and enable more personalised care tailored to colorectal cancer subtype, patient age, and lifestyle factors.
Full-text link (Oncology and Therapy, Springer – Nature).”
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