To enable better prevention of colorectal cancer in men under 50, researchers have identified risk factors favoring the appearance of tumors at an early age.
- The incidence of colorectal cancer decreases in people aged 50 and over, but increases in those under 50.
- A study highlighted 6 risk factors in men under the age of 50.
- According to the researchers, their discovery could facilitate the screening of young men at risk of developing colon cancer for early management.
Colorectal cancer is a growing public health problem, generally affecting people over the age of 50. However, recent years have seen an alarming increase in cases of malignant tumors in the colon or rectum in younger patients. This trend worries researchers and health professionals, especially since cancers detected at an early stage have a better chance of recovery. This is why Dr. Thomas Imperiale and his team wanted to identify the factors that put men under 50 at risk.
Colorectal cancer: identifying the factors to detect it in people under 50
The study analyzed the records of 600 men between the ages of 35 and 49 with non-hereditary colorectal cancer, as well as those of 2,400 military veterans in the same age group who did not have a colon tumor or to the rectum. The researchers looked at several variables to determine which factors were most predictive of the disease.
“This research is important because it indicates whether, and possibly how, to screen people under 45, who are below the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening and have some of the risk factors we identify.”assured Dr. Thomas Imperiale of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine, in a communicated.
Cancer early colorectal: 6 risk factors highlighted in men
Through their in-depth analysis of medical records, Dr. Imperial and his team identified 15 variables associated with early colorectal cancer. However, to make their prediction model easier for healthcare professionals to use, they condensed these variables into six identifiable risk factors:
- be between 35 and 49 years old;
- Ilack of regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin or ibuprofen);
- Ilack of regular use of statins;
- there alcohol consumption ;
- there presence of a first or second degree relative with colorectal cancer;
- a higher disease burden.
For the researchers, thanks to the six factors highlighted in their work published in the log Cancer Prevention Research, health professionals can include younger men in early detection programs. This could contribute to better management and better prevention of this disease.
The expert specified that he had already launched new experiments to take stock of the risk factors for early colon and rectal cancer in women. He notes, however, that “The risk of colorectal cancer is twice as high in men as in women in all age categories”.
