A recent study sheds light on why colorectal cancer is showing up more often in younger adults, pointing to a stiffer colon as a potential early warning sign. Driven by years of low—grade inflammation, this tissue hardening seems to create the perfect storm for tumors to take hold and grow faster. Experts behind the research hope these findings open doors to better screening—and treatments tailored for people under 50. It is now affecting people from all walks of life—kids, young adults, women and older adults. These findings were concluded in The Journal of Advanced sciences.
The alarming shift: Rising cases of colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer used to be thought of as a disease of older age, striking mostly after 50, but over the past few decades, cases-and deaths in that group have dropped thanks to widespread screening like colonoscopies. But now—early-onset colorectal cancer, which hits before age 50, accounts for about 12% of all diagnoses in the U.S. since 2020. Rates have climbed sharply, with no single culprit fully explained yet.Many point to modern lifestyles: diets heavy in processed foods, extra pounds around the middle, and environmental factors that keep the gut irritated over time. This chronic swelling doesn’t cause immediate pain but builds quietly—setting the stage for trouble. Projections suggest these numbers could double by 2030, especially among those in their 20s to 40s, pushing doctors to rethink when to start checks.
Digging into the tissue Differences
A recent study sheds light on why colorectal cancer is showing up more often in younger adults, pointing to a stiffer colon as a potential early warning sign. Driven by years of low-grade inflammation—this tissue hardening seems to create the perfect storm for tumors to take hold and grow faster. Experts behind the research hope these findings open doors to better screening and treatments tailored for people under 50.The early-onset samples stood out: much more rigid overall. Digging deeper, the team found thicker, longer strands of collagen, the protein that builds up during scarring. This collagen was more mature and neatly aligned, hallmarks of repeated inflammation leaving its mark. Gene tests confirmed it, showing ramped-up activity for collagen processing, new blood vessel growth—and ongoing immune responses in the younger patients’ tissues.
Stiffness as a cancer trigger
Here’s where it gets fascinating. Chronic irritation in the gut leads to scars that toughen the colon walls, similar to what happens in breast or pancreatic cancers. Cells don’t ignore this; they feel the squeeze through a process called mechanotransduction. Mechanical stress flips switches inside cells, sparking biochemical signals that tell them to divide and spread.To prove the point, scientists grew colorectal cancer cells on surfaces mimicking different hardness levels. On stiffer ones, cells multiplied quicker. They even built 3D organoids—mini tumor models—from patient cells, and those on rigid bases ballooned larger and faster. This suggests a stiff environment doesn’t just let cancer thrive; it might nudge normal cells toward malignancy in the first place.
Voices from the research
Emina Huang, a professor of surgery at UT Southwestern and leader on the study, calls this a game-changer. With her background in colon and rectal surgery, she notes how stiffness could precede tumors, offering a fresh risk marker. Her colleague Jacopo Ferruzzi, a bioengineering expert, highlights that these patterns hold true across tissue scales, linking scar tissue to wonky cell signals.The work appeared in Advanced Science, with full details on biomechanical changes unique to early-onset cases. Huang envisions stiffness tests becoming routine, much like mammograms gauge breast density. Blocking those force-sensing pathways, already in trials for other cancers, could stall growth here too.
