Types of Bacteria Vary Widely in Tumors of People with Early Vs. Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer; Findings Hint at Possible Reason for Increase in Cases of the Disease in Younger People

Researchers at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center studied the microbiome of people with colorectal cancer and found the make-up of the bacteria, fungi, and viruses in a person’s tumor varied significantly depending on whether they were diagnosed with early-onset disease (age 45 or younger) or late-onset disease (age 65 or older). These results may help answer the riddle of why more young people are developing colorectal cancer, particularly those who have no known identifiable risk factors for the disease. The findings will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2023 annual meeting in Chicago June 2-6. The ASCO abstract is titled “Comprehensive Study of the Intratumoral Microbiome in Early- Vs. Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Final Analysis of COSMO CRC.”