Scientists search the microbiome for clues to the rise in colorectal cancers

DrAfter123/Digital Vision Vectors/ Like so many in her field, The Ohio State University oncologist Ning Jin is alarmed by the number of patients in their 30s and 40s with late-stage cancer in their lower digestive tract. It's not just that these patients are decades younger than what had been typical for colorectal cancer; Jin says the tumors themselves are also more stubborn to treat. "Even though we treat young patients with more aggressive chemo — more chemo or more surgery — patients' outcomes are not necessarily better," Jin says. And the disease has become the top cancer killer among people under 50 — even as death rates decline in older age groups . Advances in science in recent years have made many cancers more treatable and survivable — but not colorectal cancer, which has become more lethal, striking people at younger ages. And it's occurring more often too. What's causing the rise in cancers among younger patients — not just of colorectal, but all forms — is a huge medical mystery. Increasingly, doctors suspect that the gut's microbiome is a key actor behind these forms of cancer in particular. Patient advocates say it's critical that more people — especially young adults with a family history of these cancers — get diagnostic testing. Preventive testing isn't regularly recommended and covered by insurance until age 45. But young people should keep an eye out for symptoms, advocates say, and raise the issue with their doctor. …