A toxin that is since childhood is the possible cause of the increase in colon cancer in young people

An international team led by the University of California San Diego identified a possible cause of the increase in Colorectal cancer in young people.

At the center of everything is a bacterial toxin called colibactinaproduced by certain strains of E. colia type of bacteria that normally lives in the colon of humans and other animals.

Toxin alters DNA and leaves a specific genetic mark. The new study – published on April 23 in Nature– Analyzed 981 genomes of colorful cancer patients.

There he found that the Mutations associated with colibactin son 3.3 times more frequent in early start cases (under 40 years old) than in over 70, and predominate in countries with high incidence among young people.

The finding is important because Colorectal cancer in children under 50 has doubled every decade for 20 years. In fact, by 2030 It could be the main cause of cancer death in young adults.

Colibactin and its risk

Previous studies have already linked colibactin with 10-15% of all cases, but this research is the first that associates it clearly with the early onset.

Researchers believe that colibactin exposure occurs in childhoodleaving molecular changes that decades later can develop in cancer. In fact, they identified that 15% of the driving mutations (such as the gene APC) They are associated with this toxin.

The team now works in new phases: identify how exposure to these bacteria occurs, determine whether there are environmental or dietary factors involved, and if probiotics could help eliminate them. They also develop early detection tests through feces analysis.

But they warn that the budget cuts promoted by the Donald Trump government could put these advances at risk.