2023-06-29 06:00:00
Colorectal cancer is a growing public health problem, generally affecting people over the age of 50. However, recent years have seen an alarming increase in cases of malignant tumors in the colon or rectum in younger patients. This trend worries researchers and health professionals, especially since cancers detected at an early stage have a better chance of recovery. This is why Dr. Thomas Imperiale and his team wanted to identify the factors that put men under 50 at risk.
Colorectal cancer: identifying the factors to detect it in people under 50
The study analyzed the records of 600 men between the ages of 35 and 49 with non-hereditary colorectal cancer, as well as those of 2,400 veterans of the same age group without colon or rectal tumors. The researchers looked at several variables to determine which factors were most predictive of the disease.
“This research is important because it indicates whether, and possibly how, to screen people younger than 45 – below the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening and with some of the risk factors we identify – on the table. for examination for screening”assured Dr. Thomas Imperiale of the United States Departments of Veterans Affairs, the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine, in a communiqué.
Early colorectal cancer: 6 risk factors highlighted in men
Through their extensive analysis of medical records, Dr. Imperiale and his team identified 15 variables associated with early colorectal cancer. However, to make their prediction model easier to use by healthcare professionals, they condensed these variables into 6 identifiable risk factors:
be between 35 and 49 years old; lack of regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin or ibuprofen); lack of regular use of statins; Alcohol consumption ; the presence of a first or second degree relative with colorectal cancer; higher disease burden.
For the researchers, thanks to the 6 factors highlighted in their work published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, health professionals can include younger men in early detection programs. This might contribute to better management and better prevention of this disease.
The expert specified that he had already launched new experiments to take stock of the risk factors for early colon and rectal cancer in women. He notes, however, that “The risk of colorectal cancer is twice as high in men as in women in all age categories”.
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