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7 July 2025
Colorectal cancer

An explanation for rising colorectal cancer rates among young adults? IARC’s Dr Paul Brennan presents new results

In a new video, Dr Paul Brennan, Head of the Genomic Epidemiology Branch at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), presents the findings of a new study that may help explain why the incidence of colorectal cancer is rapidly rising in young adults.

The study team, jointly led by IARC, the University of California San Diego (USA), and the Sanger Institute (United Kingdom), examined DNA from more than 1000 tumour samples from people of different ages. The researchers found that tumours from people younger than 40 years were more than 3 times as likely to have specific mutations as tumours from people older than 70 years. The researchers traced these mutations back to certain gut bacteria.

Watch the video and find out more about what the scientists found, how they found it, and what it may mean for cancer prevention and early detection.

Watch the video 

Read the article “Geographic and age variations in mutational processes in colorectal cancer”, published in Nature 

Publication status

Published in section: IARC News

Publication date: 7 July, 2025, 6:34

Direct link: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/an-explanation-for-rising-colorectal-cancer-rates-among-young-adults-iarcs-dr-paul-brennan-presents-new-results/

© Copyright International Agency on Research for Cancer 2025

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