WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A toxin produced by certain gut bacteria during childhood may be contributing to the global rise in colorectal cancer among people under 50, new research suggests.
The toxin, called colibactin, is produced by a specific strain of Escherichia coli or E. coli that differs from the strains commonly associated with foodborne illnesses like diarrhoea. Colibactin has the ability to damage DNA, and this genetic disruption could be a critical factor in cancer development.
According to a study led by the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and published in Nature, researchers analysed the genomes of 981 colorectal cancer patients from 11 countries. They found that colibactin leaves behind a unique pattern of DNA mutations, which were 3.3 times more frequent in patients under 40 than in those over 70.
Senior author, Ludmil Alexandrov, a professor at UCSD, said, '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.'
'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 added.
These colibactin-related mutations were also more common in countries with higher rates of early-onset bowel cancer, suggesting a potential global trend linked to bacterial exposure early in life.
Backed by Cancer Research UK, the study also revealed that around 15 percent of APC driver mutations, early genetic changes that initiate bowel cancer, are linked to colibactin exposure. This discovery could pave the way for new preventive strategies and screening efforts targeting at-risk populations.
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