Childhood Toxin Exposure ‘May be Factor in Bowel Cancer Rise in Under-50s’

This study suggests that childhood exposure to a toxin produced by certain strains of E. coli may play a role in the rising incidence of colorectal cancer in people aged under 50. Conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Diego, the paper found that genetic mutations linked to a bacterial toxin called colibactin were far more prevalent in tumors from younger patients. These mutations, potentially caused by early-life exposure to colibactin, may disrupt DNA in colon cells and increase cancer risk later in life.

The researchers analyzed DNA from 981 colorectal tumors across 11 countries and discovered that hallmark mutations from colibactin were over three times as common in patients under the age of 40 compared to those aged over 70. These specific mutations were also more frequent in countries with the highest rates of early-onset colorectal cancer. While the presence of these mutations doesn’t prove that colibactin causes cancer, the findings raise concerns about how children become exposed to the toxin, particularly since about 30 to 40 percent of children in the United States and the UK carry colibactin-producing E. coli in their gut.

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