THE ESSENTIAL
- In the presence of blood in the stool, it is absolutely necessary to consult a doctor because it can be a sign of bowel cancer.
- Limiting risky behaviors, such as poor diet or smoking, would be beneficial for the epigenetic clock.
In France, 1746 new cases of cancer of the small intestine were diagnosed in 2018, according to Public Health France. 56% of these patients were men. The small intestine – or small intestine – lies between the stomach and the colon. When a person is affected by cancer in this area, they may not experience any symptoms for a long time or symptoms that are not specific – such as nausea or abdominal pain – which therefore does not prompt them to consult a doctor. immediately, which may delay the diagnosis.
Different risk factors…
According to the league against cancer, there are different risk factors for bowel cancer: certain diseases of the digestive system such as Crohn’s disease, hereditary bowel pathologies such as hereditary colorectal cancer without polyposis and polyposis familial adenomatous disease (PAF) or even bad eating habits… But, according to a study published in the journal eLifebiological age – which is different from the one one actually has – could also play a role.
…of which the epigenetic clock may be
The authors estimate that the accelerated aging of the clock epigenetics – or biological clock – could increase the risk of bowel cancer. But what is this epigenetic clock? The epigenome is all the modifications in the regulation and/or the functioning of genes that occur during the life of an individual. Certain genes are linked to aging, including the epigenetic marker called DNA methylation which is often used to measure age. By studying it, scientists can determine biological aging, that is, the actual age of our cells relative to their age in years.
The epigenetic acceleration of aging…
“When an individual’s biological age is greater than their chronological age, it is referred to as epigenetic age acceleration.explains Fernanda Morales-Berstein, one of the authors of the study. The acceleration of epigenetic age (…) has been associated with several adverse health effects, including cancer. Epigenetics is already used to predict the risk of developing this disease or detect it at an early stage, but it is still unclear whether accelerated epigenetic aging is a cause of cancer.”.
…increases the risk of bowel cancer
The team of researchers therefore conducted experiments to raise this question. Thus, they believe that there is no evidence that epigenetic age acceleration is linked to breast, lung, ovarian or prostate cancer. In contrast, for bowel cancer, scientists have observed a 12% higher risk per additional year of epigenetic age relative to actual age.
Towards targeted epigenetic therapies?
“If an epigenetic age older than the real one is a risk factor for bowel cancer, this means that the biological clock can be processed upstream, especially for patients at risk.underlines Rebecca Richmond, one of the authors. Further research is needed to assess whether epigenetic aging can be modified by lifestyle or clinical interventions.”. Indeed, certain risk factors for cancer, such as obesity or smoking, are also suspected of acting on the acceleration of epigenetic age. Ultimately, the authors hope that targeted epigenetic therapies can be developed to prevent bowel cancer.