Colorectal cancer in young adults has distinct biology, Dana-Farber study finds
Distinct cellular and genetic differences in colorectal cancer in young patients
Dana-Farber, Mass General Brigham, and Broad Institute researchers analyzed 189 tumors from patients aged 29 to 90+, including 54 diagnosed before 50, using single-nucleus RNA sequencing on more than 850,000 cells. Younger patients' tumors carried more connective and supporting cells relative to cancer cells — a pattern linked to chemotherapy resistance — plus higher activity of long non-coding RNAs and stronger cell-to-cell signaling that aids invasion. The largest study of its kind offers a roadmap, not yet proof, for why early-onset disease is more aggressive.
By looking beyond conventional age cutoffs, we've uncovered biological patterns that earlier studies may have missed and created a foundation for the field to investigate them further.