By EMILY JOSHU STERNE, SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM she went to the doctor after noticing specks of blood on toilet paper when she used the bathroom Having recently given birth to her oldest son doctors assumed the new mom had hemorrhoids the blood turned to 'ribbons' in her stool and eventually started filling the toilet bowl She frequently found herself rushing to the bathroom Still, her fears fell on deaf ears as doctors thought she was too young and too healthy to have colon cancer It wasn't until she was 39 that Peters was finally diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer in 2021 'If I had been seen earlier, we could have avoided this whole thing,' the California mom-of-three told the Daily Mail wants to help prevent other people from facing the same fate by teaching young adults the key steps to take if they develop symptoms - as well as how to avoid the crucial mistake she made Peters urges those with symptoms like hers to be 'specific and deliberate' with their doctors about 'demanding a colonoscopy' - the gold standard test for diagnosing colon cancer it can also spot pre-cancerous growths before they become deadly was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer at age 39 after five years of her symptoms being brushed off She is now teaching other young patients how to avoid a similar fate Peters explained that 'the fast track to a colonoscopy' is being able to be detailed with your doctors about any symptoms you may be experiencing 'If you go in and you don't have those kinds of details to articulate or perhaps you are a bit too shy to speak up about it it's going to create more barriers for you along the way when Peters finally told her gastroenterologist in detail about her symptoms the doctor 'was deeply concerned from the get-go' both Peters and her doctor then made a crucial mistake: The physician asked her if she 'wanted' a colonoscopy and Peters pushed back instead choosing to do an at-home stool test which came back with positive colon cancer markers She then had to have a colonoscopy anyway to confirm the diagnosis and wishes she just had one in the first place to save time 'I didn't know anything about the rise of colorectal cancer [in] young people - I wasn't educated on that topic at all,' Peters said When treating patients with symptoms like blood in the stool and abdominal pain 'you need to have [a colonoscopy] done rather than it being something you want,' she told the Daily Mail Peters' cancer is considered early-onset - a term that refers to cases in people younger than 50 the rate of colon cancer in the under-50 population rose from 8.6 to 13 cases per 100,000 people And colon cancer diagnoses in 20 to 34-year-olds is set to increase by 90% between 2010 and 2030 Rates for teenagers have surged 500% since the early 2000s Peters, who started the nonprofit Be Seen to raise awareness of early-onset colon cancer has found the patients she meets are getting younger 'That terrifies me as a mom with these three young boys,' she told the Daily Mail Factors such as diet, lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyle have all been blamed for the rise in colon cancer, though these causes fail to explain why physically fit people like Peters - who has spent most of her life on stage, dancing up to eight hours a day and singing on Broadway - have increasingly been diagnosed. Peters wants doctors and patients to focus more on symptoms rather than lifestyle risk factors.  Peters, pictured here with her husband after her colonoscopy, said young people with symptoms should be 'specific and deliberate' with their doctors to get necessary screening. She said if she would have been screened earlier, 'we could have avoided all of this' Peters is pictured here with her husband and three sons. In her advocacy work, she has met younger colon cancer patients. One was just 10 years old. 'That terrifies me as a mom with these three young boys,' she said 'These boxes that put people into a particular category, that raise alarm bells for their care team, they're not the alarm bells that are linked to people typically at these earlier stages of life, and that dismissal or delay in their diagnosis is what's causing these late-stage long forming cancers,' Peters explained. In terms of the increase of younger people suffering from this disease and I think for people that can be really overwhelming.' The latest evidence, published in April suggests childhood exposure to a toxin released by E coli bacteria could increase the risk of colon cancer by triggering inflammation and altering the balance of the gut microbiome Marijuana was also linked to colon cancer this week as it is thought to block tumor-suppressing cells experts are still working on identifying specific causes for Americans with no known risk factors Peters thinks the answer is likely far from simple 'I personally don't believe there will be one single silver bullet that says "This is it." I think there are a combination of factors that are causing this,' she said is now cancer free and has started a foundation called Be Seen to increase access to screening for young colon cancer patients Peters started the first of six rounds of chemotherapy about 10 days after receiving her diagnosis and then had 28 days of radiation while also taking an oral chemotherapy pill she had a full rectal reconstruction - a seven-hour surgery to restore her bowel function - and then another six rounds of chemotherapy she is set to sing the National Anthem for the Los Angeles Dodgers in July Be Seen 'We have been credited with over 30 people having not just colonoscopies and polyps removed but with having confirmed pre-cancerous polyps removed,' Peters said 'We know that if those were left untreated that would have resulted in my experience.'  'Don't stop being relentless until you're heard until your concerns are addressed and solved,' she said The comments below have not been moderated By posting your comment you agree to our house rules Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group Former NFL offensive lineman Willie Colon shares his thoughts on quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers waiting game. Isaiah Stanback ranks his Top 5 dual threat quarterbacks. \"GMFB\" debate can the Baltimore Ravens put their 2024 disappointment behind them. \"GMFB\" reacts to Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh's comments on getting quarterback Justin Herbert into the Hall of Fame. \"GMFB\" ranks the NFC North entering 2025. \"GMFB\" debates is it time for Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love to make a huge leap in 2025. \"GMFB\" ranks Top 3 NFC quarterbacks entering 2025. \"GMFB\" debate is asking for a retired number a tribute or disrespectful. (COLLEGE) \"GMFB\" break down how do the 2025 Dallas Cowboys have them feeling like. \"GMFB\" debate do you see the Dallas Cowboys as a playoff team in 2025. \"GMFB\" break down how they see Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe being used in the NFL. First round pick cornerback Maxwell Hairston wakes up with \"GMFB\" to discuss being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 2025 NFL Draft. Indianapolis Colts safety Camryn Bynum discusses growing up in a Filipino family. Former NFL offensive lineman Willie Colon on if quarterback Will Howard is the future for the Pittsburgh Steelers and breaks down Super Bowl XLIII. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan wakes up with \"GMFB\" to break down the Seattle Seahawks 2025 draft class. \"GMFB\" picks a player or coach who encapsulates the phrase \"true pro.\" Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon on facing New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in his playing days. \"GMFB\" shares the expectations for the New England Patriots in 2025 season. \"GMFB\" debates which long shot team do you have a good feeling about in 2025. \"GMFB\" play a round of Buyin' or Keep Tryin' and debate will the Tennessee Titans be this year's Washington Commanders. \"GMFB\" breaks down what do you expect to see from New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye's second season. \"Good Morning Football\" kicks off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with NFL Network's Manti Te'o awarding five individuals with commendations inspired by the Native Hawaiian holiday known as \"Lei Day\". \"Good Morning Football\" settles the question on whether New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields or New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson has more to prove in the 2025 NFL season. \"Good Morning Football\" tackles the issue of whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers have time to wait on free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make a decision on if he wants to still play. While on \"Good Morning Football\", former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker commends the Washington Commanders, a former team of his, for the recent changes that the organization has underwent. "GMFB" debate can the Baltimore Ravens put their 2024 disappointment behind them. "GMFB" reacts to Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh's comments on getting quarterback Justin Herbert into the Hall of Fame. "GMFB" debates is it time for Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love to make a huge leap in 2025. "GMFB" ranks Top 3 NFC quarterbacks entering 2025. "GMFB" debate is asking for a retired number a tribute or disrespectful. (COLLEGE) "GMFB" break down how do the 2025 Dallas Cowboys have them feeling like. "GMFB" debate do you see the Dallas Cowboys as a playoff team in 2025. "GMFB" break down how they see Seattle Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe being used in the NFL. First round pick cornerback Maxwell Hairston wakes up with "GMFB" to discuss being drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 2025 NFL Draft. Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan wakes up with "GMFB" to break down the Seattle Seahawks 2025 draft class. "GMFB" picks a player or coach who encapsulates the phrase "true pro." "GMFB" shares the expectations for the New England Patriots in 2025 season. "GMFB" debates which long shot team do you have a good feeling about in 2025. "GMFB" play a round of Buyin' or Keep Tryin' and debate will the Tennessee Titans be this year's Washington Commanders. "GMFB" breaks down what do you expect to see from New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye's second season. "Good Morning Football" kicks off Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with NFL Network's Manti Te'o awarding five individuals with commendations inspired by the Native Hawaiian holiday known as "Lei Day". "Good Morning Football" settles the question on whether New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields or New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson has more to prove in the 2025 NFL season. "Good Morning Football" tackles the issue of whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers have time to wait on free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make a decision on if he wants to still play. While on "Good Morning Football", former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker commends the Washington Commanders, a former team of his, for the recent changes that the organization has underwent. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience Don't have an account? Create Account We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentAnd the outlook was substantially grimmer for those with cannabis addiction prior to their cancer diagnosis They were over 20 times more likely to die within five years of diagnosis Researchers at the University of California looked at health records from 1,088 colon cancer patients treated across the University of California Health system and compared the data of daily marijuana users to those of non-users The study found that people who used marijuana daily before their diagnosis had a 56% chance of dying within five years of their cancer diagnosis which was 11 times higher than those who weren’t dependent on cannabis For those who were diagnosed with cannabis addiction prior to their cancer diagnosis the study found they were 24.4 times more likely to die compared to their peers within five years of cancer treatment The study said previous findings on the relationship between cannabis and cancer outcomes remain mixed and may depend heavily on patterns of use Some studies have linked cannabis use to positive outcomes for cancer patients particularly with studies involving the anti-tumour effects of cannabinoids such as THC while other studies associate chronic or high-intensity cannabis exposure with tumour growth THC may also block cancer-fighting T-cells Those with cannabis use discorder may also be dealing with depression which can compromise adherence to cancer treatments representing 10% of all cancer cases nationwide The disease affects one in 18 Canadian women with one in 43 dying from colorectal cancer transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account A new study from the UConn School of Medicine has revealed that walnuts may play a significant role in reducing colorectal cancer risk. The research, published in Cancer Prevention Research, found that compounds called ellagitannins found in walnuts help inhibit cancer development. These beneficial compounds are converted by the gut into urolithin A, a potent anti-inflammatory agent. "Ellagatannins in the walnut are importantly providing the anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties that we're seeing in patients in our clinical trial research," said study author Daniel W. Rosenberg from the UConn School of Medicine. The study included 39 patients between the ages of 40 and 65 who were screened at UConn John Dempsey Hospital. Participants first avoided all ellagitannin-containing foods and beverages for a week to reset their urolithin levels. They then began consuming ellagitannin-rich walnuts as part of a closely monitored diet. After three weeks on this diet, each participant underwent a colonoscopy. Researchers were able to measure the effects of walnut consumption on colon health by examining tissue samples and biomarkers. The results showed that patients with high levels of urolithin A following walnut consumption had reduced levels of several crucial proteins often present in polyps. These polyps are small growths that form on the lining of the colon and can lead to colorectal cancer. High urolithin A levels also reduced inflammatory markers across blood, urine, and faecal samples. The researchers noted these effects could positively influence immune cells within colon polyps. Patients with elevated urolithin A levels also showed increased serum levels of peptide YY, a protein associated with the inhibition of colorectal cancer. Walnuts offer a wide range of health benefits The protein vimentin, often linked to advanced forms of colon cancer, was significantly reduced in polyp tissues of patients with the highest urolithin A levels. Interestingly, the study found that patients with obesity had the greatest capacity to form urolithins through their gut microbiome. "Urolithin A has a very positive influence on inflammation and maybe even cancer prevention," Rosenberg explained. He noted that dietary supplementation with walnuts can boost urolithin levels in people with the right microbiome, whilst significantly reducing inflammatory markers, especially in obese patients. "There are many potential benefits one can get from eating walnuts, with so little downside risk," Rosenberg added. "Just grabbing a handful every day is really something that you can easily do for your long-term health benefit." Its role in the health sphere is promising, writes Justin Stebbing I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The potential role of vitamin D in preventing and treating colorectal cancer (CRC) has attracted growing research interest – especially as CRC rates are rising Low vitamin D levels have long been linked to a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer One large study involving over 12,000 participants found that people with low blood levels of vitamin D had a 31 per cent greater risk of developing CRC compared to those with higher levels another study reported a 25 per cent lower CRC risk among individuals with high dietary vitamin D intake Data from the Nurses’ Health Study – a long-term investigation of American nurses – showed that women with the highest vitamin D intake had a 58 per cent lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those with the lowest intake a review highlights vitamin D’s promise in colorectal cancer prevention and treatment – but also underscores the complexity and contradictions in current research to investigate how vitamin D works in the laboratory in which some people receive vitamin D and others don’t the gold standard by which treatments are judged This highlights the need for a balanced approach to its integration into public health strategies Vitamin D is synthesised in the skin in response to sunlight and exerts its biological effects through vitamin D receptors (VDRs)found throughout the body these receptors help regulate gene activity related to inflammation immune response and cell growth – processes central to cancer development and progression Preclinical studies have shown that the active form of vitamin D (calcitriol) can suppress inflammation boost immune surveillance (the immune system’s ability to detect abnormal cells) inhibit tumour blood vessel growth and regulate cell division – a key factor in cancer development Epidemiological studies, which track health outcomes across large populations over time, consistently find that people with higher blood levels of vitamin D have a lower risk of developing CRC. This paints a hopeful picture, suggesting that something as simple as getting more vitamin D – via sun exposure, diet, or supplements – could lower cancer risk randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard These studies randomly assign participants to receive either a treatment (like vitamin D) or a placebo helping eliminate bias and isolate cause-and-effect relationships RCTs on vitamin D and CRC have produced mixed results the VITAL trial – a major RCT involving over 25,000 participants – found no significant reduction in overall colorectal cancer incidence with 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D supplementation over several years a meta-analysis of seven RCTs did show a 30 per cent improvement in CRC survival rates with vitamin D supplements suggesting potential benefits later in the disease course rather than for prevention the Vitamin D/Calcium Polyp Prevention Trial found no reduction in the recurrence of adenomas (pre-cancerous growths) with supplementation Adding to the uncertainty is the question of causation Does low vitamin D contribute to cancer development Or does the onset of cancer reduce vitamin D levels in the body It’s also possible that the observed benefits are partly due to increased sunlight exposure which itself may have independent protective effects These discrepancies highlight the importance of considering the “totality of evidence” – treating each study as one piece of a larger puzzle Observational and mechanistic studies suggest a meaningful link between vitamin D and lower CRC risk But the clinical evidence isn’t yet strong enough to recommend vitamin D as a standalone prevention or treatment strategy maintaining sufficient vitamin D levels – at least 30 ng/mL – is a low-risk And when combined with other strategies like regular screening vitamin D could still play a valuable role in overall cancer prevention Vitamin D is not a miracle cure – but it is part of a much broader picture Its role in colorectal cancer is promising but still being defined While it’s not time to rely on supplements alone ensuring adequate vitamin D levels – through sun exposure or supplements – remains a smart choice for your health and tackling it requires an equally nuanced approach that means focusing on evidence-based lifestyle changes and staying informed as new research unfolds Justin Stebbing is a Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University This article was originally published by The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies {"adUnitPath":"71347885/_main_independent/gallery","autoGallery":true,"disableAds":false,"gallery":[{"data":{"title":"iStock-1134020377.jpg","description":"Balanced diet nutrition keto concept. Assortment of healthy ketogenic low carb food ingredients for cooking on a kitchen table. Green vegetables, meat, salmon, cheese, eggs. Top view background","caption":"Eggs and salmon are high in vitamin D Almost 15 years ago, Aaron Rodgers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. Now, he has a chance to join their team. The Steelers’ quarterback options have grown thin and Rodgers is the best player left in free agency That’s why Pittsburgh is content to wait for him to make a decision but it’s unclear when that will happen which would leave the Steelers up a creek without a paddle former Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon won’t knock the team for continuing to wait on Rodgers like so many others have “I think they’re handling it well,” Colon said Friday on Good Morning Football. “You have to believe they’ve had conversations [Art] Rooney [II] and Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers They’ve all had a conversation and there’s probably a timeline that we’re just not privy to I also believe that Aaron Rodgers wants to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers or you wouldn’t see footage of him throwing to DK Metcalf.” Colon’s opinion is not one that everyone shares. Many people are frustrated with the team’s drawn-out pursuit of Rodgers It feels risky because the Steelers have few other options left it’s tough envisioning them as a serious postseason competitor in 2025 Colon is correct that there are signs pointing toward Rodgers joining the Steelers His throwing session with Metcalf seemed notable Rodgers also had a lengthy visit with the Steelers in Pittsburgh Rodgers’ other options are just as slim as Pittsburgh’s It doesn’t seem like there’s another clear suitor for Rodgers in the NFL right now Most teams have their quarterback room sorted out Rodgers also made it clear that he’s dealing with a serious personal issue that’s taking up a lot of his attention He can’t be fully committed to football right now so that’s why he hasn’t made a decision He likely expressed that to the Steelers when he met with them a few weeks ago That would also explain why they feel comfortable waiting for him Whether there is an actual timeline or not is unclear. The Steelers haven’t set a deadline on Rodgers signing with them, although they reportedly wanted an answer from him before the draft. While this saga might be frustrating for some if it ends in the Steelers signing Rodgers He could be the best quarterback Pittsburgh has had in years Colon has put his confidence in the right place Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet We use ads to fund this site and continue to bring you premium Steelers content If you like what you see on this site, we now have an ad-free option available for a donation of $25 per year and you can enjoy the site entirely ad-free Additionally, if you'd like to donate above and beyond the ad-free option, you can donate via PayPal as well It's unclear why colon cancer cases have doubled in people under 55 over the past two decades a staggering rise that has alarmed doctors and cancer researchers researchers have identified a strong link between this DNA-damaging toxin and colon cancer among younger patients analyzed tissue samples from close to 1,000 colorectal cancer patients across four continents They found the majority had cancers bearing mutations that signaled a past encounter with colibactin "You can think of it as the weapon system of a bacteria to fight other bacteria and to defend themselves," says Ludmil Alexandrov, the lead author of the study, which was published in Nature this week those under the age of 40 with early-onset colon cancer were three to five times more likely to have these mutations than those in their 70s and older this bacterial weaponry — technically called a "genotoxin" — can get directed at their gut cells seeding mutations that put them at increased risk of developing colorectal cancer this exposure isn't ongoing when the cancer is diagnosed it appears to have happened during childhood "Our estimate is that it happens within the first 10 years of life," Alexandrov says that puts you 20 to 30 years ahead of schedule for getting colorectal cancer." While the study shows a strong association the data can't prove colibactin caused these patients to develop cancer at a younger age And researchers in the field don't expect E to be the skeleton key for the surge in colorectal cancer "That would be too simple," says Christian Jobin a microbiome researcher at the University of Florida too — is one "hit" among many to our microbiome which together may place some people on a faster trajectory for developing cancer The study is a new clue into the rise in colorectal cancer in the young Scientists believe some confluence of environmental factors These could be having downstream effects on the microbes in our gut like E "It's been really perplexing," says Dr. Neelendu Dey a gastroenterologist whose lab focuses on the gut microbiome at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center "The microbes that may contribute to cancer risk are tricky to understand." coli belongs is actually the most prevalent type of bacteria in your gut during the very early stages of life About 20% to 30% of people have strains of E but that doesn't mean it's necessarily having "deleterious effects," says Jobin it's not some new infectious agent that simply needs to be eliminated Adding to the puzzle: Not everyone with colorectal cancer has these signatures of colibactin-related mutations There's something provoking the bacteria to behave this way perhaps giving it an advantage to grow in more abundance "What triggers this weapon or the deployment?" Jobin says "We don't know but we have to consider the environment." coli that produce colibactin are influenced by diet Jobin says the new research is "fantastic" because it bridges early preclinical research in animals with "real life humans," and opens new avenues for research Studies conducted on animals have shown colibactin exposure can drive cancer development For example, deleting the genetic region responsible for producing this toxin in E. coli can actually incapacitate the bacteria from promoting cancer in animals. Feeding them more or less fiber can affect tumor growth And stopping inflammation can also fend off cancer in these lab studies of colibactin Because they sequenced the genome of cancer from patients all over the globe Alexandrov says the researchers could tell these mutations related to colibactin are actually quite rare in more "rural non-industrialized" regions of Africa and Asia whereas they turn up more frequently in the U.S coupled with the findings that it's a result of early childhood exposure gives them a handful of hypotheses about what could be at play He says some of their top suspects are the mode of birth (cesarean section vs. vaginal delivery), breastfeeding, the use of antibiotics and nutrition, for example whether children were fed ultra processed foods. "All of these factors are known to substantially affect the microbiome and there is some evidence they may impact this [colibactin producing] bacteria but we really need to investigate each one carefully." Dey views all of these as plausible, particularly antibiotics, given that other research teams have linked early-life antibiotic use to increased risk of colorectal cancer later on he says he hopes researchers can eventually find microbes that serve as "biomarkers" for identifying people at risk of developing pre-cancers drugs can be designed to target toxins like colibactin to counter their harmful effects but we have to acknowledge the ecological lessons learned in other contexts," he says it can have effects that you didn't anticipate so this all needs to be done very thoughtfully." Become an NPR sponsor It’s not often that we hear that cancer can be prevented But that’s actually true to a large degree with colon cancer That’s because early detection and lifestyle choices  can make a big difference Here are five things you should know about colon cancer Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States It’s expected to cause about 52,900 deaths in 2025 And although the death rate has been dropping for older Americans for decades Colon cancer usually develops slowly for 10 to 15 years That’s why many people with colon cancer don’t have any symptoms at first When symptoms do appear they may be confusing because they also could be symptoms of other more common ailments Your everyday choices matter processed meat and meat cooked at high temperatures Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week You should also avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol women who choose to drink should have no more than one drink a day Excess fat can create a low-oxygen environment The American Cancer Society recommends screening for colon cancer begin at age 45 for most people with an average risk If you have a family history of colorectal cancer or other risk factors you may need to start earlier The best way to screen for colorectal cancer is with a colonoscopy a procedure in which a doctor uses a small flexible tube with a light and small video camera on the end to look at the inside of your colon and rectum It’s inserted through your anus and into the rectum and colon Special instruments can be passed through the colonoscope to biopsy or remove any suspicious-looking areas Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard in screening because polyps can be detected and removed during the same procedure If you choose to be screened with a test other than colonoscopy any abnormal test result should be followed up with a timely colonoscopy Colon cancer is serious, but it’s also one of the most treatable cancers when detected early Today’s treatments are more effective and less invasive than ever before From robotic and minimally invasive surgery to targeted therapy drugs and comprehensive follow-up care patients have many new treatment options that can give them the best possible outcomes Sign up to receive the latest health news and trends ER Wait Times are approximate and provided for informational purposes only Up to 90% of colorectal cancers can be cured if they are found early That’s why regular colorectal cancer screenings Fred Hutch Cancer Center and UW Medicine offer a full range of screening options to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer or to find it at its earliest stage Talk to your primary care provider about colorectal cancer screening. UW Medicine Primary Care can help you get started with screening. You may be referred for a colonoscopy or a different screening test. Learn about Fred Hutch's relationship with UW Medicine If you need a colonoscopy, call 206.606.5342 to schedule your procedure at Fred Hutch Cancer Center – South Lake Union in people who don’t have any signs or symptoms There are several ways to screen for colon cancer All of them can help detect possible signs of the disease If your screening shows anything of concern your health care team will recommend next steps You may need further tests to learn more about your health like a colon polyp or a small piece of a tumor a physician who specializes in checking tissue samples uses a microscope to see if the cells are cancer Fred Hutch pathologists are experts in diagnosing colon cancers All colorectal screening tests give us valuable information a physician looks at the inside of your entire colon lighted tube with a video camera on the end they can usually remove it at the same time and send it to a lab for testing Removing a polyp may prevent colon cancer before it starts Colonoscopy is also used to diagnose colon cancer some people may have a flexible sigmoidoscopy instead but the physician looks only at the lower part of the colon Virtual colonoscopy (CT colonography) is another screening method it’s different from a true “scope” procedure The physician doesn’t put a camera inside your body you have a computed tomography (CT) scan of your colon at-home screening tests for colon cancer that check for tiny amounts blood in your stool are the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) and guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) Blood in your stool could be a sign of polyps or colon cancer you use a kit to collect your stool and send it to a lab for testing at-home stool test to screen for colon cancer It’s sometimes called a FIT-DNA test or sDNA-FIT It checks for blood in your stool and also for biomarkers that may be a sign of cancer or precancerous changes It comes in a kit with step-by-step instructions for how to collect your sample and send it to the lab There are also blood tests to screen for colon cancer They check a sample of your blood for signs that could mean cancer is present But experts have not yet included these blood tests in the guidelines for first-line screening according to the National Cancer Institute Preventive Services Task Force says it does not include blood tests in its screening guidelines because there’s not enough evidence for them and we have other effective methods Researchers at Fred Hutch are involved in studies to learn more about blood tests to screen for colon cancer and if they might one day replace the tests we use now If you were diagnosed with colon cancer before coming to Fred Hutch your care team here may suggest more tests We do this to fully understand your cancer and make a treatment plan that’s right for you We’ll review test results from your referring physician Fred Hutch has experts in screening for and diagnosing colon cancers They include experienced gastroenterologists we have the latest technologies to find out as much about your disease as possible That’s key to making a treatment plan that will get the best results for you We are making colon cancer screening easier to get through our Population Health Colorectal Cancer Screening Program The program works to lower the burden of colon cancer especially among people who have been disadvantaged due to factors like race It aims to reduce barriers to getting screened or following up on abnormal results For people with higher risk of gastrointestinal cancers due to genetic changes or a family history of cancer, Fred Hutch has a special program. The Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program offers risk assessment Colon cancer can develop without noticeable symptoms Regular screening helps find issues before they become serious Each type of colon cancer screening has advantages and disadvantages The most important thing is to choose one of the recommended methods and do it If you’re trying to decide between methods it’s a good idea to talk with your primary care provider They can help you figure out what’s right for you “Colorectal cancer is common and very preventable with screening, but in some populations less than half of people who are eligible for screening actually take those tests,” said William M. Grady, MD who is the medical director of Fred Hutch’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention Program “Getting people to be screened for cancer works best when we offer them screening options and then let them choose what works best for them.” Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer screening for all adults starting at age 45 the task force recommends talking with your health care team to decide if you still need to do screenings and ask your primary care provider what screening schedule is right for you Researchers at Fred Hutch are looking for new better ways to screen for colon cancer and save lives If you have an abnormal virtual colonoscopy This is important to find out why the first test was abnormal you will need a colonoscopy to look at the rest of your colon After an abnormal sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy the next steps will depend on what the biopsy finds If your polyps or tissue samples were not cancer you still might need a repeat colonoscopy sooner than 10 years to check again you will probably have imaging studies and blood tests to learn more if it has spread beyond your colon and which treatments you need Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is an independent organization that serves as UW Medicine's cancer program © 2025 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 1100 Fairview Ave. N., P.O. Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109-1024 206.667.5000Contact Us Research Alerts Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that individuals with colon cancer and a documented history of high cannabis use were more than 20 times more likely to die within five years of diagnosis compared to those without such a history “This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that heavy cannabis use may have underrecognized impacts on the immune system mental health and treatment behaviors — all of which could influence cancer outcomes,” said lead author Raphael Cuomo associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine The research team drew on electronic health records from more than 1,000 colon cancer patients treated across the University of California Health system between 2012 and 2024 They evaluated how cancer outcomes differed based on patients’ documented cannabis use before diagnosis sex and indicators of disease severity such as tumor staging and cancer biomarkers While some laboratory studies have shown anti-tumor effects from certain cannabis compounds the authors note that real-world use is more complex Given the increasing prevalence and social acceptance of cannabis use they also emphasize the need to further investigate its long-term effects in medically vulnerable populations “High cannabis use is often associated with depression anxiety and other challenges that may compromise a patient’s ability to engage fully with cancer treatment,” said Cuomo who is also a member of UC San Diego Moore’s Cancer Center It’s about understanding the full range of its impacts especially for people facing serious illnesses We hope these findings encourage more research — and more nuanced conversations — about how cannabis interacts with cancer biology and care.” The study was published online in the Annals of Epidemiology No funding or conflicts of interest were reported for this study patients are presenting with undiagnosed cancers at an advanced stage Their tumours have gone unnoticed for so long because these individuals defy the picture of the typical cancer patient: they are young and without any family history of the disease as the diagnosis is called for adults under 50 has been documented for more than a dozen cancers This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “The root of the problem” Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents Some say the trial is unethical. Others, that not doing it would be immoral For now, the evidence for neuromodulation products is slim Many will still be culled under false pretences own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK View all partners Alarming trends show that colon – or bowel – cancer is increasing in younger people colorectal cancer is projected to become the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among young adults globally by 2030 Until recently, the reasons for this surge were largely unclear or unknown. Now research points to a surprising suspect: gut bacteria Colon cancer is currently the second biggest cause of cancer death, yet only one in three cases are diagnosed in the earliest stages. Often symptomless in its early forms colon cancer typically begins as polyps and can take ten to 15 years to develop This slow progression makes regular screening crucial especially because many patients experience no early warning signs an international team analysed the complete DNA sequences of 981 colorectal cancer tumours from patients across 11 countries They discovered striking geographic patterns in the mutations that lead to cancer Two specific mutational signatures – SBS88 and ID18 – stood out for their association with colibactin a DNA-damaging toxin produced by some E coli strains These bacterial “fingerprints” were 3.3 times more common in patients diagnosed before age 40 than in those over 70 these mutations appear early in tumour development suggesting the damage may occur years – even decades – before cancer is diagnosed Colibactin doesn’t cause random DNA damage. The study found it tends to target the APC gene a vital tumour suppressor that normally controls cell growth about 25% of APC mutations bore the toxin’s unique signature This direct hit to the body’s internal “brake system” could explain why these cancers appear earlier in life Molecular analysis indicated that colibactin-associated mutations often emerge within the first ten years of life. While this suggests the toxin may silently colonise children’s guts and initiate cancerous changes early, it’s important to note that this remains a theory; the study didn’t directly examine children or young adults Still, the research maps out a microbial pattern of cancer risk. These gut bacteria are not the same as those that cause food poisoning – they often live within us and perform beneficial roles But their composition can vary widely by region and Russia – where colorectal cancer rates are climbing – showed higher levels of colibactin-related mutations This may reflect regional differences in gut microbiomes influenced by diet (particularly ultraprocessed foods) where rates are historically high but stable suggesting other causes may dominate there Perhaps the most provocative finding relates to when this bacterial damage occurs Unlike lifestyle risks that build up over decades colibactin seems to strike during a narrow window – when the microbiome is still forming in childhood or early adulthood Potential triggers could include repeated antibiotic use that disrupts healthy gut bacteria coli growth and urban living that reduces exposure to diverse microbial environments These findings may also point to new prevention strategies Screening programs could focus on younger adults carrying these high-risk bacterial strains using stool tests to detect colibactin genes Diets high in fibre and low in processed foods might promote a healthier gut microbiome The research also adds weight to calls for lowering colorectal cancer screening ages worldwide since many early-onset cases go undetected under current guidelines While this study is a major step forward, many questions remain. Why do some people carry colibactin-producing bacteria but never develop cancer? How do modern lifestyle factors amplify – or mitigate – these microbial risks? What we do know is that cancer results from the complex interplay between our genes and our environment – including the microscopic world within us As researchers continue to connect the dots one thing is clear: the colorectal cancer epidemic of the 21st century may have begun with silent microbial battles in our guts This emerging view of cancer not just as a genetic or lifestyle disease but also as a microbial one – could fundamentally reshape how we think about prevention for future generations Eating yogurt two or more times per week may lower risk of colon cancer according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health and Mass General Brigham They found that regular yogurt consumption may cause changes to the gut microbiome that are protective against a certain type of aggressive tumor The study was published Feb The researchers analyzed data from more than 150,000 people who were followed for at least three decades They found that people who eat yogurt on a regular basis tended to have lower rates of proximal colorectal cancer positive for Bifidobacterium Patients with proximal colon cancer (which occurs on the right side of the colon) typically have worse survival outcomes than patients with distal colon cancer (which occurs on the left side) Read the NPR article: Eating yogurt regularly may reduce the risk of colon cancer, a study finds Read Mass General Brigham press release: Long-Term Yogurt Consumption Tied to Decreased Incidence of Certain Types of Colorectal Cancer Harvard Chan Magazine; Senior Writer in the Office of Communications we offer highly targeted executive and continuing education Stay connected with newsletters on climate communication — and the latest from Harvard Chan School This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide, and it's on the rise among younger adults in the U.S. But research recently published in the journal Cancer, finds regular exercise can help survivors live longer — in some cases even longer than people who've never had colon cancer "I think the important message is, some level of activity is better than staying inactive," says Dr. Jeff Meyerhardt, co-director of the Colon and Rectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the study's senior author He says the results suggest exercise can have a "meaningful impact" on a patient's long-term prognosis death rates have been falling thanks to improvements in screening and treatment But survivors still tend to have a shorter life expectancy than people of the same age and sex in the general population in large part because of the risk that the cancer will come back Meyerhardt says researchers have long known that exercise can improve survival rates in colon cancer patients But he and his colleagues wanted to know if regular physical activity could actually help patients improve their survival rates compared to people who'd never had cancer So they surveyed nearly 3,000 colon cancer patients about their exercise habits before and after treatment for patients who were three years out from treatment and cancer free "Those patients not only had a better overall survival if they were more physically active they actually looked like they had a slightly better overall survival compared to the general population," Meyerhardt says Even patients whose cancer recurred had improvements in survival if they had more regular exercise compared to patients who were the least physically active Patients who saw benefits were exercising the equivalent of walking about an hour a day at a 2-to-3 mile per hour pace about six days a week Kathryn Schmitz is an exercise oncology researcher at the University of Pittsburgh and the director of the Moving Through Cancer Program at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center She's a firm believer in the power of exercise both to reduce the risk of dying from colon cancer and to prevent it in the first place "I know of nothing else that is within the patient's control that is more powerful for reducing cancer mortality Researchers are still trying to figure out the mechanisms at play But Schmitz says evidence from animal models suggests that physical activity triggers a series of chemical reactions in cells that promote health in multiple ways "What you might think of is that all of our cells are bathed in a soup of sorts and the constituents of that soup change as a result of being more physically active," Schmitz says and your cells are more prone to inflammation your inflammation goes down and your immune function is better "The soup in which your cells are bathed is healthier in a way that will tamp down any cancer development or cancer progression," she says Exercise can also improve insulin sensitivity, and insulin plays a role in spurring the growth of colorectal cancer cells, says Dr. Kimmie Ng founding director of the Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber And at a time when colon and rectal cancer rates are rising among people under 50 it's more important than ever to get the word out about exercise Ng says researchers don't know exactly what's driving the "alarming" rise in cancers of the colon and rectum in adults under 50 but research suggests colorectal cancer is strongly linked to several modifiable lifestyle factors like diet and physical activity "exercise probably has some of the strongest data supporting the benefits of it being protective" — both in terms of developing colorectal cancer and surviving it And while exercise is beneficial at any age also seems to be very important for protecting against a future risk of developing colorectal cancer as an adult," Ng says Guidelines from the American Cancer Society recommend people get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week to reduce the risk of cancer But if that seems like more exercise than you have the time or energy for "If you are able to do 90 minutes more than you're currently doing "If you're able to do 60 minutes more than what you're currently doing Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good Getting off the couch to begin with is a win." Bekah Kooy was convinced she had food poisoning when she felt nauseated and experienced stomach pain following lunch one day in February 2023 the pain had moved to the right side of her abdomen and she wondered if her gall bladder might be the culprit a general surgery physician assistant at UW Medical Center – Northwest “I was ready to scrub into an operation with a surgeon I work with when one of the anesthesiologists said “My chief of surgery came into the room after I got back from the scan and said I had a mass in my right colon obstructing my intestine,” she said The vast majority of colon cancer cases are classified as adenocarcinoma Not only was the microscope appearance of Kooy’s cancer uncommon, but she also has ultra-hypermutated colorectal cancer, which means her tumor is rife with DNA mutations. The upside is that this type of cancer appears more likely to respond to immunotherapy unlike the the more common forms of colon cancer “She got treated a bit unconventionally, with immunotherapy, which is used in a small subset of colon cancer cases,” said Kooy’s oncologist, Stacey Cohen, MD, who directs Fred Hutch’s Colorectal Cancer Specialty Clinic "Her case shows it’s important to understand the molecular features of cancer because that helps us individualize treatment looking for options a standard patient might not have.” A biomarker obtained after surgery called circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA Issaka holds the Kathryn Surace-Smith Endowed Chair in Health Equity Research Increased emphasis on getting screened and adjusting lifestyle-related risk factors has resulted in incidence rates dropping by 1% each year from 2012 to 2021 rates of diagnosis have increased by 2.4% per year in people younger than 50 The reasons for this increase in younger people are not entirely clear, but Issaka said in a UW Medicine video that "a Westernized diet appears to be an influential factor.”   Further complicating the increase in cases is that many providers don’t realize colorectal cancer is on the rise in young people which may lead them to attribute symptoms to more common causes her sharp and worsening pain was impossible to ignore But others with undiagnosed colon cancer may ignore their symptoms “We know to go see a medical provider when we have severe abdominal pain like Bekah or blood in the stool but many colorectal cancer patients have more subtle symptoms,” said Cohen More than half of patients have symptoms that might be nonspecific changes in bowel habits such as more diarrhea or being prone to constipation – not necessarily classic symptoms like blood in the stool patients are often told the cause is hemorrhoids or inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS) “If you have a persistent change in your body, it makes sense to be evaluated,” said Cohen, who noted that people experiencing symptoms should rely on a colonoscopy, not a FIT test “We encourage patients to advocate for themselves to see if colonoscopy is right for them.” As a health care provider, Kooy appreciates how Cohen reached out to other experts and shared her pathology slides to help develop a comprehensive treatment plan. “Everyone agreed I should be treated with a year of immunotherapy,” said Kooy, who received nivolumab, a type of checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy directly from the manufacturer after Cohen’s team helped her apply for authorization because her medical insurance company declined to pay for the drug would show up immediately and reassure me and direct the care But it was still so uncomfortable and scary.” That experience — paired with Kooy’s ctDNA levels remaining negative after nine months of therapy — led Cohen to recommend that Kooy wrap up her treatment Kooy is now getting bloodwork every three months and regular imaging to monitor her recovery Kooy still finds it hard to believe that someone like her — no genetic predisposition no family history and no underlying diseases predisposing her to cancer — was diagnosed with colon cancer and I was otherwise completely healthy,” she said “It came out of the blue — I had no prior pain but I was a mom of three young children who worked full-time I attributed my exhaustion to being a woman.” routine bloodwork that her provider ordered had come back negative was so large that it was blocking her colon it freaks friends out because it’s like how on earth would you know?” she said “Fatigue is not enough of a symptom to warrant a CT scan So I can’t really blame my [primary care] provider It’s a scary thing because how am I supposed to know if it comes back The reassurance I'm given is that I'm under surveillance with routine scans and bloodwork for the next five years.” it’s uncommon for colon cancer to return after five years statistically it’s pretty uncommon for a 38-year-old who is otherwise healthy to have colon cancer,” said Kooy “But I trust and wholeheartedly believe I had the absolute best medical care Cohen took the time to sit and think about my case and consult with other colleagues to say what would you do with this very rare cancer?’ gave me the belief that she was always going to be thinking about my case.” that was “super powerful and profound for me.” Written by integrative providers who did research on lifestyle changes people can make in combination with conventional standard of care treatment the book espouses a holistic approach to cancer care “It was get your cancer treatment and pay attention to nutrition meditation and being part of community,” said Kooy “I found I had an insane increase in anxiety when treatment was done “I thought I’d get done with treatment and start to feel good because I was done with that stage of my life But I panicked because when I was in treatment It has been incredibly helpful to be reminded that even when you're not in treatment what you are doing — eating a well-balanced diet continuing with acupuncture and massage — help keep me physically and mentally well.” Back at work at UW Medical Center – Northwest — where Fred Hutch and UW Medicine work as a team to provide cancer treatment for patients — Kooy assists the surgeons who performed her own surgery and regularly scrubs in to help with colon cancer surgeries she will discuss her own cancer experience with patients mostly as a way to help them feel that she truly understands what they’re going through “I think they appreciate knowing that I have been where they are,” she said Bonnie Rochman is a senior editor and writer at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. A former health and parenting writer for Time, she has written a popular science book about genetics, "The Gene Machine: How Genetic Technologies Are Changing the Way We Have Kids—and the Kids We Have." Reach her at brochman@fredhutch.org Are you interested in reprinting or republishing this story We want to help connect people with the information they need We just ask that you link back to the original article preserve the author’s byline and refrain from making edits that alter the original context Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application He had a deep love for music and found joy and expression through it where a funeral service will be held on Saturday Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Share this articleShareShare on FacebookShare on XShare on PinterestCopy LinkColon CancerDig into the details about colon cancer, including its symptoms, causes, stages, risk factors, and treatment options. Learn the latest about how colon cancer affects the body and how to prevent it. New research suggests a possible risk factor: the presence of certain strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria in the gut during childhood The findings suggest that this specific exposure probably happens in the first 10 years of life which means that children with this mutation-generating infection in their colon face a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer as a young adult Alexandrov and his team are looking into creating early detection tests that analyze stool samples for colibactin-related mutations Identifying young people at higher risk would open up new avenues for cancer prevention The research team is also exploring whether the use of probiotics could safely eliminate harmful bacterial strains In the search to find out what’s driving these high cancer rates, researchers like Drs. Alexandrov and Marshall have been exploring how the gut microbiome may influence cancer development The researchers analyzed colorectal cancer tumor DNA from 981 patients with both early- and late-onset disease across 11 countries with varying colorectal cancer risk levels Results revealed that colibactin-related DNA mutations were 3.3 times more common in early-onset cases (specifically in adults under 40) than in those diagnosed after age 70 “These mutation patterns are a kind of historical record in the genome and they point to early-life exposure to colibactin as a driving force behind early-onset disease,” says Alexandrov Cathy Eng, MD director of the Young Adult Cancers Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) in Nashville calls the results “intriguing” as the findings indicate a way to identify possible cancer development long before symptoms appear “It has been reported that it takes an adenoma [benign polyp] about 5 to 10 years to become an adenocarcinoma [cancer],” says Dr “Given that we are seeing colorectal cancer patients in their twenties and thirties transition to cancer may begin when they are younger.” scientists are unsure what might trigger E coli infections linked to colorectal cancer Mariana Byndloss, PhD, an assistant professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who has studied the effects of harmful E. coli species, speculates that antibiotics such as those for ear infections and strep throat and antibiotics can kill good microbes that help prevent colonization by E She notes that high-fat diets, low-fiber diets, and diets rich in processed foods may also factor in because they don’t adequately “feed” the good microbes that are beneficial for gut health Other factors that may increase risk may be not breastfeeding (which is thought to lower protection against infection) and cesarean sections (which reduce exposure to potentially beneficial vaginal microorganisms) “It could also be that children are not getting enough exposure to things in our environment — they don’t eat as much dirt and wash their hands too often,” he says “So they may not have a good variety and richness in their microbiome.” The bottom line is we just don’t know yet why children may get these damaging infections and how they may be contributing to cancer risk While colibactin may contribute to the overall development of colorectal cancer, Eng sees the cause of the disease as multifactorial and believes that more research is needed to validate these current results “In the interim, it is critical that young individuals and healthcare providers still learn of the signs and symptoms of early-onset colorectal cancer so they are aware to undergo a screening test — ideally a colonoscopy to remove any potential polyps early on,” she says He is a prolific writer and has written more than 50 books, including Lost America: Vanished Civilizations, Abandoned Towns, and Roadside Attractions. Rauf lives in Seattle, Washington. Learn the latest about how colon cancer affects the body and how to prevent it A study published April 14 by JAMA Network Open found that rates of pancreatic and colon cancer rose among young adults from 2000-2021 Researchers examined 275,273 cases of pancreatic cancer and 215,200 cases of colon cancer during that period.  while the rate for those age 35-54 grew 1.54% and 1.74% for those older than 55 Colon cancer rates grew 1.75% for people aged 15-34 and 0.78% for those aged 35-54 while individuals 55 and older experienced a decrease of 3.31%.  In the study, researchers at Mass General Brigham looked at data from more than 150,000 people who were followed for at least three decades They found that people who regularly ate two or more servings of yogurt a week had lower rates of certain types of colorectal cancer "Yogurt may be good for maintaining a good microbiome in our body," says Dr. Tomotaka Ugai, a co-senior author of the study He's an investigator at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a department associate at the Harvard T.H the researchers found that the habitual yogurt eaters had lower rates of Bifidobacterium-positive proximal colon cancers Proximal colon cancer is a type of colon cancer that occurs on the right side of the colon and can have worse survival outcomes than cancers that occur in the distal colon Ugai says the bacteria in yogurt appear to promote an overall healthy balance of bacteria in the gut because when the gut barrier becomes too permeable it can lead to inflammation and increase the risk of colon cancer The findings are in line with prior studies that have linked yogurt intake to a lower risk of colon cancer, says Dr. Chris Damman, a gastroenterologist and professor at the University of Washington who studies the intersection of the microbiome and metabolic disease "It builds on the evidence that yogurt may be protective," he says Other studies have linked regular yogurt consumption to other health benefits, including a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and of dying from cardiovascular disease. Yogurt is a fermented food, meaning it is produced when microbes break down sugars in foods in a way that produces complex flavors and prevents them from spoiling. One randomized controlled trial found that people assigned to eat a diet rich in yogurt and other fermented foods — such as kefir kimchi and kombucha tea — for 10 weeks had lower markers of inflammation and improved diversity of microbes in their gut Damman says that along with fiber, healthy fats and nutrients known as polyphenols found in plant-based foods, yogurt and other fermented foods are a staple of a healthy gut. "These are the common denominators across culinary traditions and healthy eating," he says From Middle Eastern cream cheese-like labneh to Persian abdoogh khiar soup and Indian raita, cultures around the world have long embraced yogurt as a culinary staple But before adding yogurt to your diet be sure to check the nutrition label. Research has found that, despite its health halo, many yogurts can be loaded with added sugar Your best bet is to stick with yogurts without added sugar bananas or other fruit if you miss that hint of sweetness Metrics details The optimal extent of lymph node dissection in colon cancer surgery is specified in guidelines based on the results of past analyses with advances in surgical techniques and multidisciplinary treatments the clinical significance of dissecting each lymph node may change we re-examined the optimal dissection range in each colon cancer localization We retrospectively analyzed 788 cases of T1–T4 colon cancer who underwent radical resection between 2008 and 2018 at our hospital No metastases to the main lymph node were found in T1 cases dissection effect to the main lymph node were observed in cases with tumors localized in the ascending colon and left side of the transverse colon dissection was effective for lymph nodes in nodal station 213 in the right side of the transverse colon in station 211 These lymph nodes could have been considered out of scope for dissection if the Japanese guidelines were followed the extent of lymph node dissection should be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis few reports have evaluated the index in colon cancer surgery we re-examined the optimal dissection extent for each tumor location in colon cancer using the Lymphadenectomy Index We also evaluated the validity of the range in lymphadenectomy recommended by the JSCCR guidelines for treating colorectal cancer Patients who underwent radical resection for colon cancer at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Hospital between April 2008 and April 2018 were included in this study Surgery was performed by laparotomy or laparoscopy Patients who underwent additional surgery after endoscopic treatment were counted as T1 and included in the study Patients with distant metastases were excluded because they were considered to have a significant impact on the 5-year survival rate 788 cases of T1-4 colon cancer without distant metastasis were retrospectively analyzed in this study Informed consent was obtained from all subjects and/or their legal guardians and research was performed in accordance with relevant guidelines The study was approved by the institutional review board of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (Approval Number: ERB-C-1178) and sigmoid colon (S) to describe tumor location The boundaries of each division were set at the superior border of the Bauhin valve and left superior anterior iliac spine; these were evaluated by computed tomography (CT) scan or colonography Tumor depth was also evaluated by colonoscopy or CT scan and classified into T1 (submucosal) and T4 (extra-serosal invasion) according to the TNM classification system in the Union for International Cancer Control (8th edition) Lymph node locations and numbers (the nodal station)5 The extent of lymph node dissection was classified as Japanese D1 Dissection extent was to para-intestinal lymph nodes in D1 lymph nodes up to the left margin of the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) were dissected In D3 dissections for left hemicolectomy of the colon lymph nodes around the root of the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) were dissected The extent of bowel resection and lymph node dissection was reviewed by our surgical team comprising experts in colorectal cancer treatment based on the JSCCR guidelines for the treatment of colorectal cancer dissection was performed to the intermediate lymph node in T1 cases and to the intermediate or main lymph node in T2 cases All surgeries were performed by surgeons with extensive experience in colorectal cancer surgery All regional lymph nodes were immediately and individually removed from the specimen immediately after excision The removed lymph nodes were separated by station and immediately fixed in formalin for histological examination Two independent pathologists performed the histopathologic diagnosis we calculated the Lymphadenectomy Index by multiplying the frequency of metastasis at each station by the 5-year recurrence-free survival rate of patients with metastasis Prognostic curves were generated using the Kaplan–Meier method and the log-rank test was performed to evaluate intergroup differences The significance of differences was set at p < 0.05 derived from two-tailed tests Statistical analyses were performed using EZR which is a modified version of R commander designed to add statistical functions frequently used in biostatistics The clinical and surgical characteristics of the 788 cases in this study are shown in Table 1 and the median age was 69 years (21–94 yeas) 571 cases were well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinomas 103 were moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinomas 21 were poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinomas Laparoscopic surgery was performed in 671 cases Nineteen cases were converted from laparoscopic to open surgery because of bleeding Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered in 205 cases There were 261 cases with a tumor depth in T1, 111 in T2, 242 in T3, and 174 in T4. Table 2 shows the frequency of metastasis to the main No metastases were found in T1 cases of the main lymph nodes but metastasis was observed in other depths (T2: 3.85% The frequency of metastasis tended to increase with increasing depth but remained almost the same for T3 and T4 Figure 2 shows recurrence-free survival curves by each tumor localization and depth. The median survival times of T2, T3 and T4 cases were compared, and a significant difference was observed in localized C (p = 0.000921) and S (p = 0.0354). Recurrence-free survival analysis classified by the localization and depth of colon cancer (c) Right side of the transverse colon (n = 53) (d) Middle of the transverse colon (n = 43) (e) Left side of the transverse colon (n = 36) patients were classified into T2 cases (black line) or T3 cases (red line) or T4 cases (green line) Table 3 shows resection margins and the Lymphadenectomy Index of localization in the C and A metastasis to the main lymph node was observed the Lymphadenectomy Index of nodal stations 202 and 203 were 0 despite the dissection effect on nodal station 213 In T3 cases localized in C with the right colonic artery the Lymphadenectomy Index of nodal station 213 was 33.3 Table 4 shows resection margins and the lymphadenectomy index of tumors localized in Tr metastasis to the main lymph node was observed in nodal station 223 T3 and T4 cases showed no metastasis to the main lymph node and no dissection effect was observed in Tr no metastases were found in lymph nodes along the ileocecal artery metastases were found only in lymph nodes along the middle colon artery although metastases were found at nodal station 241 the Lymphadenectomy Index at nodal station 211 was 20 the Lymphadenectomy Index at nodal station 231 was 16.7 Table 5 shows resection margins and the Lymphadenectomy Index of tumors localized in D and S although metastases were found in lymph nodes along the inferior mesenteric artery T3 and T4 cases showed no metastases to the main lymph node the Lymphadenectomy Index at nodal station 221 was 20 the Lymphadenectomy Index at nodal station 231 was 20 effective dissections to the main lymph node were observed in locations A and Tl for T2 cases there was no metastasis to the main lymph node in locations Tm and dissection to the main lymph node was ineffective in Tr it may be acceptable to adjust the extent of dissection according to age no dissection effect was observed for the main lymph nodes except for nodal station 223 it may not be necessary to dissect stations 203 and 253 in surgery for transverse colon cancer Several stations that are generally considered out of range for dissection as recommended in the ninth edition of the Japanese Classification of Colorectal Nodal station 213 comprises the main lymph nodes surrounding the right colonic artery and dissections were effective for this station in location C even in the absence of a right colonic artery dissection of the cephalic side of the root of the ileocecal artery may be necessary in location C dissection was effective for nodal station 211 in location Tr tumors located at the localization boundaries may have caused tumor cells to flow to extra-regional lymph nodes because of lymphatic flow stagnation it was also shown that the number of lymph nodes with metastases did not change and it is unclear whether extensive bowel resection contributes to a reduction in the number of remnant metastatic lymph nodes An optimal protocol for the clinical utility of ICG fluorescence imaging in colorectal surgery has not been established but this method may be useful for performing accurate lymph node dissection we calculated the Lymphadenectomy Index by multiplying the frequency of metastases by the five-year recurrence-free survival rate it may not have been feasible to accurately assess the survival curves and the size of the Lymphadenectomy Index and we are currently conducting an analysis that includes cases from multiple institutions dissection to intermediate lymph nodes is sufficient dissection to the main lymph node may be necessary According to our evaluation of the Lymphadenectomy Index by tumor localization it may be necessary to contemplate the dissection of the cephalic side of the root of the ileocecal artery if tumors locate at C and para-intestinal lymph nodes near the range of dissection if tumors locate at the localization boundaries All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request The Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum Relationship of apical lymph node involvement to survival in resected colon carcinoma Lymph node evaluation and long-term survival in Stage II and Stage III colon cancer: A national study Rationale for extent of lymph node dissection for right colon cancer Extended lymph node dissection in colorectal cancer surgery: Reliability and reproducibility in assessments of operative reports Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum and anal carcinoma: the 3d English edition [Secondary Publication] Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum (JSCCR) guidelines 2019 for the treatment of colorectal cancer A randomized trial of lymphadenectomy in patients with advanced ovarian neoplasms Extent of lymph node dissection in patients with small-sized peripheral non-small cell lung cancer during intentional segmentectomy Impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on locoregional surgical treatment of breast cancer [Recent advances in colorectal cancer surgery] New method to evaluate the therapeutic value of lymph node dissection for gastric cancer Pattern of subcarinal lymph node metastasis and dissection strategy for thoracic esophageal cancer Reconsidering the optimal regional lymph node station according to tumor location for pancreatic cancer Therapeutic index of lymphadenectomy among patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: A multi-institutional analysis Tn as a potential predictor for regional lymph node metastasis in T1 colorectal cancer Optimum lymph node dissection in clinical T1 and clinical T2 colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer treated by resection and extended lymphadenectomy: patterns of spread in left- and right-sided tumours Standardized surgery for colonic cancer: complete mesocolic excision and central ligation--technical notes and outcome Complete mesocolic excision for right hemicolectomy: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis Understanding optimal colonic cancer surgery: Comparison of Japanese D3 resection and European complete mesocolic excision with central vascular ligation Impact of positron-emission tomography on the surgical treatment of locoregionally recurrent colorectal cancer Safety and efficacy of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging-guided laparoscopic para-aortic lymphadenectomy for left-sided colorectal cancer: a preliminary case-matched study Indocyanine green for radical lymph node dissection in patients with sigmoid and rectal cancer: randomized clinical trial Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging-guided laparoscopic surgery could achieve radical D3 dissection in patients with advanced right-sided colon cancer Short-term outcomes of near-infrared imaging using indocyanine green in laparoscopic lateral pelvic lymph node dissection for middle-lower rectal cancer: a propensity score-matched cohort analysis and leucovorin as adjuvant treatment for colon cancer Duration of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer Postoperative chemotherapy improves survival in patients with resected high-risk stage II colorectal cancer: Results of a systematic review and meta-analysis A multicenter cohort study on mapping of lymph node metastasis for splenic flexural colon cancer Download references Yuta Marunaka and Jun Kiuchi equally contributed to this work Yuta Marunaka and Jun Kiuchi wrote the main manuscript text and prepared tables The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91250-2 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Research shows that eating large quantities of red meat can increase colorectal cancer risk by about 30% Learn more about what a meat-centric diet does to your gut in this Nutrition Essentials podcast with gastroenterologist Christine Lee and registered dietitian Julia Zumpano Nutrition Essentials | Red Meat and Colon Cancer Risk with Christine Lee and welcome to another episode of Nutrition Essentials a spinoff of our Popular Health Essentials podcast The average person in the US eats more than 82 pounds of beef per year A flame-grilled total that is four times higher than the global average the US also ranks near the top of the world when it comes to colon cancer cases for those who frequently chow down on processed meats such as hot dogs So today we're going to take a closer look at what a meat-centric diet does to your gut and why you might want to think twice before always ordering a double-stacked burger or a dinosaur-sized T-bone steak Julia Zumpano with us to talk about the nutrition side of things Our guide through the twisty turns of the digestive system is a regular guest on the podcast who's making her fifth appearance on the show She's one of our favorite guests given how well she explains the bodily processes that isn't always easy to talk about Now with the recent increases we've seen in colon cancer among some groups The choices we make can make a difference when it comes to this type of cancer We always appreciate you making some time in your day for a little gastrointestinal talk So we brought you in here today to talk about ways to reduce colon cancer risk And it seems like we have some lifesaving opportunities there given that the US sees about 150,000 colon cancer diagnoses a year more than 50,000 deaths a year from the disease Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in this country Second cancer causing death in the United States So it's important that we get the word out so that we can protect our loved ones And I know one of the more surprising trends is the recent increase in colon cancer among younger people and that's a group that traditionally has been lower risk I know the studies I've read all seem to point toward diet and lifestyle factors as the main causes for this We started noticing an uptick on early cancer diagnosis in the younger population but what's even more tragic is that it's at advanced stages So the strong speculation at this point is that it's pointing to lifestyle habits a large gamut of variety of factors that may play a role in this tragic uptick we're going to dive into the diet part of what you were just talking about today and I know when we start looking at diet factors that contribute to colon cancer the spotlight often seems to shine on red meat what is it about eating too many burgers and brisket and ribs and steaks that just doesn't sit well with our gut So I think most of us consider red meat being beef only So we want to just be cautious of the volume of red meat and the frequency of red meat We're not trying to demonize one specific category of food There's a lot of nutrients that red meat can offer but we know that certain types of red meat are worse than others The way you cook the meat can create more carcinogenic compounds So charring or grilling or smoking the meat can worsen it I think obviously in the last two decades we've noticed a lot more food that are pre-made or made for us or under the realm of fast food and people are wolfing these down in their busy lifestyle for going from point A to point B I think the consumption obviously have gone up and it's really the quantity as well as all the other life influences It's important to make sure you get your vegetables in And with all of that put together is a setup for.. Or that's the concern for the uptick or increased rise in colon cancer what is it that it does within our bodies that kind of contributes to some of these issues there could be harmful chemicals that are produced during the cooking and processing of red meat that have been linked to DNA damage and cancer development Inflammation in the colon can also increase cancer cell growth especially not enough of those colorful foods that Dr And then an altered gut microbiome can also lead to it which meat can alter the microbes in your gut leading to an imbalance that can favor the growth of cancer causing microbes red meat is a little bit more difficult to digest So not only does it stay in your stomach a lot longer to digest So it's important that you marry that with high fiber diet and hydration so that you can get the waste eliminated The longer it sits in your intestinal tract and possibly the irritation and inflammation of the stomach lining that causes a faster cell turnover causing a setup for not only just constipation but perhaps irritable bowel diverticular disease and whatnot can you break down that faster cell turnover I think we all can get a little confused by what that is and why that's negative Your colon is lined by intestinal cells that line the inside of the colon and they're not meant to live forever kind of like the skin on the surface of our skin the dead skin slough off and we get new skin that replaces the dead cells The same process occurs on the inner lining of the colon And when there is inflammation or stretch or damage or hostile environment that turnover is forced to turn over much faster And if your DNA mechanism is set that it's trying to repair faster than it's able to produce then it's a setup for a DNA damage or a mishap that's when it continues to perpetuate and you get a setup for an abnormal tissue growth that goes unchecked and it can increase your risk of cancer which anybody who's put down a steak probably understands at some point meat generally have not just the high protein but it also has high fat and it may also have some preservatives or however it was prepared And all of those contribute to how long it stays in your stomach and it may even create a gastroparesis situation It increases the risk of you having gastro reflux disease or even regurgitation And then you can get small bowel bacteria overgrowth and that's when you feel bloated And then by the time it finally does reach to the colon And so by the time it travels through your cecum to the ascending that movement process can take days in some people obviously it would cause quite a bit of bacterial overgrowth they can all accumulate causing a lot of abdominal bloating and it can cause diverticular disease and all sorts of problems And also to make sure you marry that with fruits you really can't downplay the benefits of fiber I just really think most Americans are just not consuming nearly enough fiber It's so essential and important for digestion and just if you are going to eat meat really making sure you're upping your fiber intake that day knowing that that meat is a little bit more difficult to digest and can kind of slow that digestive process down when I go grocery shopping and I go down the aisle it is so confusing because all the labels say high fiber And it's so easy to be misled thinking I eat a high fiber diet because everything I grab has fiber in it But those labels are misleading because they're trying to sell you a product So they may put just a tiny bit of fiber and they're like So it's important not just to read the first label but to flip it and see exactly how much fiber and is it one gram It's so important to turn the product over and look at the small nutritional labels I myself have to take these things out and look get misled that you are consuming the right amount of fiber when you're clearly not So when you're looking for a high fiber food so it's not going to be in boxed and packaged foods as much as it is on the outside of the grocery store aisles more where the fresh fruits and vegetables are So we want to look for whole foods for our fiber first There's nothing wrong with shopping the center aisles and choosing some foods in the middle too but we're going to really maximize fiber from whole foods Now if you are shopping those center aisles and want to choose a high fiber bread or cereal what we're aiming for is three grams of fiber or more per serving So that's what we consider a good source of fiber A high fiber food is considered five grams of fiber or more that's hard to get to the three and the five targets are really hard to get to on a single serving food but when you look at a half a cup of beans you're easily accomplishing six to seven grams of fiber So just keep that in mind that whole foods can contain more fiber sometimes than those packaged foods but it's important to get a variety of sources of fiber so maximizing it from all avenues are really key And the other thing to keep in mind is that those recommendations are tailored for the ideal person but we all know that we come in all shapes and sizes some of us actually need a little less for the most part most of us really need more because we're not five foot two and perfect height Some of us are just taller and just bigger boned More is also fine if your body needs that and also your diet If you're predominantly a high protein diet then you may be okay with the recommended guidelines So it's so important to make sure that there's some variations to that fiber gram recommendation per day The total just general guidelines for fiber range from 25 to 35 grams a day so I really need to be very aware of how much fiber I'm taking in and how much fluid I'm taking in So it's important to have that reset to even track it for a day or two getting your average intake of fiber and seeing where you can sneak in more Your digestive system will tell you if you have too much but that just means you probably added it too quickly too So fiber is essential to start slowly and to pair with enough fluid so your digestive system can get used to that influx of dietary fiber and start to increase it slowly And most people can handle utmost of 40 to 60 grams of fiber a day I can't tell you how often I get patients that say I tried what you recommended and I couldn't tolerate it So oftentimes I try to explain to the patient you don't go out and start running a marathon So that might be start walking one mile a day and then increase that to three miles a day and then work your way up to the ideal recommendations The second point is it is very common for women to need more than men just because our bodies have a lot more twists and turns in our colon it does take a lot more fiber to get the job done don't go out and start running 22 miles a day You have to start where you're at and work yourself up So when we're at the next cookout or you're just looking for dinner is there room for some beef in a healthy diet we're not going to demonize one specific food Red meat has a lot of nutritional benefits We want to stick to about the size of the deck of cards but what I think is a better measure is the palm of your hand but it is pretty equivalent to what their needs are So you're looking at the thickness of your hand So that's what we're looking for as an appropriate serving size for you for red meat The World Health Organization recommends no more than 500 grams of red meat a week So you can safely have red meat a couple times a week what else you're consuming with it and how your body tolerates it keep portions down and vary your protein is key So really offsetting some of that red meat with some oily fatty fish to give you some Omega-3 like a meatless meal a week to get you some extra legumes So you want to provide variety because if you're limiting yourself to red meat of course you're going to increase your risk but also you're not maximizing your nutrient intake we're going to gain nutrients from other foods that we otherwise wouldn't have if we don't add that variety A couple other things to keep in mind is the cuts of red meat So we want to try to avoid very fatty cuts of red meat You want to stick to leaner cuts of meat like a tenderloin You want to trim off visible fat as much as possible and avoid those processed meats So those are things like bacon and sausage So we want to try to avoid or limit those to as little as possible The using the palm of your hand is just right on just because everybody has different needs they have different nutritional requirements and we're all built a little bit different Some people are bigger and some people are smaller I always try to make analogies myself when I see patients when they talk about how big is my colon or what the size of their rectum is when you're looking for portion control using your palm it would be a great tool and you always have it with you So you can use that as a measuring stick or a rule of thumb I have to say right now I am very happy that I have large hands so that's definitely going to be a benefit you had mentioned a few kind of pro-tips to enjoy red meat in a more healthy way what are the best cuts people should look for when they're at the grocery store you want to look at the meat and make sure there's not a lot of white marbling in the meat So that's a sure sign that there's a lot more fat So you want to see more of that red muscle that red meat without as much of the white marbling So that's definitely what we want to avoid we can easily trim that off and that's fine But we want it to be way more red than white so you want the lowest amount of fat possible So trying to get very lean cuts of ground beef or pork for that matter because they just tend to be from the leaner part of the animal it sounds like portion control is also the main- So you want to use lower heat cooking methods You want to avoid very high heat temperatures because some of that high heat can stimulate some of those carcinogenic compounds and create more risk to eating red meat those are the things we want to avoid when it comes to red meat So really try to choose the oven as often as possible it sounds like those grill marks are just not exactly the best thing for us once they get inside just try to really turn it down and allow it to cook a little bit longer So it's the temperature that really stimulates those mechanisms and compounds in the red meat That's the way they always want to do barbecue anyway So our focus so far has been squarely on red meat but that's not the only food connected to colon cancer risk So what are some other menu items that we should be limiting or maybe even avoiding this is the common things that we know that we should be avoiding So you want to avoid commercial baked goods They're containing a lot of extra saturated fat and sugar and preservatives Snack foods like chips or granola bars or any of those snacky type foods where we want to re-evaluate what that food is check ingredients before we choose those foods on a regular basis those ultra-processed foods that we were just talking about and fried foods and all that what kind of things are you seeing down there With those predominant foods in their diet we see a lot of patients that develop what we call pseudo gastroparesis but their stomach looks like they have diabetic gastroparesis They can kind of develop things like gastric outlet obstruction kind of scenarios bacterial overgrowth or particularly in the small bowel and a lot of colon disorders like irritable bowel And then it actually changes the anatomy of the colon what we call floppy colon or redundant colon diverticular disease And do those all also open the door to colon cancer which I know has kind of been a little bit of our focus today so we don't have a controlled prospective clinical trial to prove cause and effect at this time but there's a lot of evidence that suggests causation and causation with correlation So we do speculate that it does contribute clearly to increased risk of colon cancer but at this time we don't have a clear randomized controlled prospective trial at this time we also want to remember those foods are really low in fiber So you're really going to struggle meeting those fiber goals if you're consuming ultra-processed foods they're high in processed chemicals and ingredients that lead to more inflammation very inflammatory to the gut because that's where we're digesting those foods So we want to make sure we understand how those foods affect our whole system and specifically more importantly autoimmune disorders are on the rise as well and that include even microscopic colitis or inflammatory bowel disease There's now increased case reports of meat allergy meaning they actually have an anaphylactic reaction to meat And those were unheard of many decades ago And so is it the meat itself or is it how it was processed or what preservatives are on them but we do know there's a lot of inflammatory processes that are on the rise for people with an increased incidence and diagnosis of autoimmune disorders throughout whether it's urticaria from skin or the inflammatory bowel disease or just eczema or allergic rhinitis We need to go back in time and have the diet of the long time agos before all the invention of processed fast foods and convenience washing the dirt off and just eating it as is One thing reminded me when you were speaking is really thinking about the quality of meat and the quality of food you're buying too So if you are able to afford more grass fed types of meats or organic meats we're going to at least minimize some of the ingredients that are added and given to the animals or used in processing that can really help decrease inflammation in that sense too So we're looking at trying to minimize what kind of hormones they're providing what kind of preservatives are being added trying to choose grass-fed organic meats as often as possible I also remember my mom taking me grocery shopping and we'd go to the local butcher and he would know her by name and we knew where the meat came from and he would know how she would want her certain cut And so it is important to try to go back to basics So our conversation keeps flipping back to fiber And so I want to spend a minute if we can over there and kind of talk about why it has these magical properties when it comes to our downstairs plumbing I know this is a topic you love talking about so if you could give us a little bit of info as to what this fiber is actually doing inside us So most fibers are generally not digestible So what it does is it kind of acts like a binding agent It kind of picks up all that charred stuff that fell off.. The charred grilled marks and it picks up the old bad pieces and it kind of helps you form your stool It's easier to eliminate when you have one large entity rather than a thousand small pieces Kind of like picking up Play-Doh in carpet If your kid was playing with Play-Doh and you got little pieces of Play-Doh everywhere it's just easier to get a big ball of Play-Doh and just kind of roll it to pick up the little pieces and you get rid of it in one fell swoop So it helps pick up and bind your stool so you have a little bit more form soft It also gives your colon muscle wall something to squeeze that way the muscular wall part of the colon stays strong so that they don't get thin floppy and atrophy So it's almost like exercise for the colon It acts like a binding agent so you can eliminate better It also helps lower your cholesterol a little bit but any little bit helps by binding the fats and getting it out of your body before you can absorb and eliminate It also creates an oncotic gradient so it pulls water and that's how come your stools are a little bit soft and you can't really digest it so it really can't harm you because it's going to come out the other end eventually And so I could just go on and on on the health positive aspects of fiber So we really should try to invest in ourselves and invest in the foods that we put into our bodies I'm not going to look at play-doh the same after the discussion we just had but that was just a wonderful way to explain how this fiber works in your system and kind of helps clean things up a little bit I know we talk about fiber a lot and it's a term that comes up So what are just some quick things people can look to grab that will kind of boost their fiber intake and maybe help keep the pipes clean So you want to think about something that's going to bind So we want to look for foods high in fiber So we're thinking foods like apples or applesauce So those are those binding foods that we want to really focus on but insoluble fiber is what we also call roughage they might be the things that you can kind of see floating around in your stool It's a form of creating and forming stool and waste and elimination So when you think of foods that are high in fiber And my go-to phrase is anything that grows from the ground will be high in fiber Anything that walks on the ground will not have fiber Animal foods do not contain fiber unless it's being added to the food So we want to really focus on heavy plant-based intake especially if you're eating red meat on a regular basis I do love that idea that if you are going to eat red meat it sounds like if you combine it with food that's a little higher in fiber they kind of work together a little bit and the fiber will kind of maybe offset some of the concerns we have with red meat that magic number of how much fiber you need varies per person but I think it just helps you create that stool and eliminate that meat in a proper timeframe and eliminate it properly with a soft form stool versus having it sit in your gut things like that where you know you have a regular comfortable elimination So any discussion involving colon cancer risk needs to address the importance of screenings tell us why this can be such a lifesaving action to go do and to schedule third most common cancer in the United States second cancer causing death in the United States And so we always have to be on the lookout and the most common questions I'm asked is what are the symptoms should I look for by the time a cancer develops and it's big enough to cause symptoms So prevention is we want to get to it before it becomes cancer and before it becomes cancer So it's important to look for your risk factors So your risk factors would be do you have a family history do you have any other comorbidity that increases your risk of cancer meaning chronic inflammation or inflammatory disease of some sort Are you making sure you're eating good food Are you hydrating and having good bowel movements And when I say good bowel movements don't mean just because you went doesn't mean it was good So it's important for people to understand the size of what their colon size is so that when you see a bowel movement Did you really empty well or did you really empty maybe 25% of the rectum and 75% still sitting there causing a lot of stagnation So the current guidelines for colon cancer screening start at age 45 for those who have no family history it's 10 years minus the family history index age And the key to that is because we know it saves lives that is one way to see the precancerous growth polyps a definition of a polyp is an abnormal growth A definition of an abnormal growth is actually called the tumor It's definitely a word that sets off alarms We need the pathologist then to know what type of polyp it was some turn into cancer in one to three years some turn into cancer typically in five to six years So it is important not only to remove the polyp they'll tell us what type of polyp and when the next surveillance colonoscopy should be so that we can catch them as they crop up we can't remove it in one piece and the risks goes up where we have to remove it in piece style or we may even have to send them off to the surgical colleagues for a surgical resection So the longer you wait or the later you are discovered or diagnosed the lesser option you have and more invasive intervention you require all colon cancer could have been prevented And that's hard to say because you don't want to blame anybody And it just breaks your heart if anybody dies of colon cancer there is a great prevention option available really breaks your heart because it could have been prevented Right now the current guideline in the United States is at age 45 And if it's really nothing other than hemorrhoids but it's worth getting that peace of mind and making sure you're not one of the statistics Are you not emptying as well as you thought you did Did you incidentally discover you have diverticular disease You don't want to ignore those because that's your body telling you something is going on in your body that you can help so that it doesn't get worse and lead to diverticulitis or lead to abscess or fistulas or even a bowel perforation The earlier you discovered you can change that trajectory now and change it for the better colon cancer is a very slow growing cancer so it kind of gives us a window to find it before it becomes very problematic which I know are kind of the gold standard when it comes to colon cancer screenings the colorful phrase is the poop in the box tests How effective are those and is that something that people can use I always say any form of colon cancer screening is better than no form of colon cancer screening the gold standard is the colonoscopy because there's nothing more accurate than being actually inside the colon with a $90,000 lens And we can kind of look and if there's any abnormal growth we remove it right then and there and you're done So that is why it remains the gold standard But it is considered invasive because a patient has to take a bowel prep and they have to have some anesthesia and they have to be instrumented and some people they're a little squeamish and they're reluctant to come in to do that And if that's you and you're willing to do the test in a box It'll at least give you some information to go on they wouldn't indicate if you had any polyps or anything like that So they have come up with this device where they're looking for the DNA of adenoma and cancer I really respect them and thank you for this opportunity the unfortunate part is there is little room for error because the patient.. It's important that the patient follows the instructions completely There are some things that you have to follow those recommendations and the most important part is you have to supply a good sample So you have to put in the full bowel movement So if you only do a partial or it wasn't particularly a good bowel movement then you're limiting your sample for them to run for the DNA you're leaving room for error and not necessarily from the fault of the test you please read the instructions carefully and you want to provide for them the best sample for them to study or run the test from So with everything that we've talked about today it seems that colon cancer is a disease where we as individuals have a bit of control as to whether it's through diet or lifestyle or testing So if there's one thing we want people to take away from our discussion today So mine would definitely be eat enough fiber but there's a lot of great ways to add fiber like dried prunes or dates or ground flax seeds or chia seeds So you really even meeting with a dietician to help you navigate how to add more fiber how to slowly increase it so you don't have any gut related symptoms from too much fiber Maybe really breaking down your red meat intake and how frequently you're doing it and really getting that personalized approach to meet your nutrition needs and your health goals there's virtual appointments if you have transportation issues If you are needing some help and guidance as far as what types of fiber or how to have a better variety in your diet it is definitely worth consulting with an expert And it may be that you only need one visit or you may need three visits but also try to regulate the level of stress that to the best of your ability I always say exercise is the best medicine on earth So make sure you're getting plenty of good quality sleep and just make sure that you have a well-balanced lifestyle as far as work that's a perfect way to bring us to the end So I appreciate both of you spending some time with us today we shared a ton of information that should help people live a little healthier and hopefully avoid becoming one of those colon cancer numbers colon cancer is often viewed as a preventable disease Adjusting your diet and limiting red meat are just some of the things you can do to protect yourself as the years go by Make sure to talk with your healthcare provider about colon cancer screenings too please hit the subscribe button and leave a comment to share your thoughts Thank you for listening to Health Essentials, brought to you by Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Children's. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or visit clevelandclinic.org/hepodcast This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own physician Tune in for practical health advice from Cleveland Clinic experts How can you safely recover after a heart attack multispecialty academic medical center that's recognized in the U.S and throughout the world for its expertise and care Our experts offer trusted advice on health wellness and nutrition for the whole family Our podcasts are for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as medical advice They are not designed to replace a physician's medical assessment and medical judgment Always consult first with your physician about anything related to your personal health Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInWESTLAKE Ohio (WOIO) - The 22-year-old Westlake man arrested by the SWAT team early Wednesday after his partner was found laying in the street is now being held on a $1 million bond at the Cuyahoga County Jail Jahard Colon pleaded not guilty to felonious assault Thursday at Rocky River Municipal Court The judge did find Colon guilty of a probation violation and sentenced to him to 30 days Westlake Captain Gerald Vogel said they received multiple 911 calls around 2:30 a.m regarding a woman laying outside in the area of Canterbury and Center Ridge Roads Police said officers found the 25-year-old victim conscious Officers and detectives learned the victim had been at the Time Warp Bar earlier in the night and evidence technology and witnesses interviews led them to two persons of interest SWAT was then called in to execute a search warrant at a home on Center Ridge Road and Colon was arrested but police said he was not involved in the crime and is cooperating with the investigation eating healthy and getting regular screenings to help lower your risk Colorectal cancer is a malignant tumor on the lining of the large intestine It’s one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy But what may surprise you most is that colorectal cancer is actually preventable. It’s also highly treatable and curable when healthcare providers find it early “You can’t prevent breast, lung or brain cancer in the same way,” says colorectal surgeon David Liska, MD “You can’t take precancerous polyps off any of those organs like you can with the large intestine.” And the good news is there’s more to colorectal cancer prevention than the dreaded pre-colonoscopy bowel prep Liska shares how to prevent colon cancer with tips and advice that should keep your colon and rectum working just as they should You can take steps to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer Aim for a diet full of fruits They’re linked to a lower risk of some cancers and can help you have healthy bowel function Additionally, you should limit red meat and high-fat or processed meats, which can increase your colon cancer risk. Ultra-processed foods can also increase your risk of colorectal cancer “In addition to lowering the risk of colorectal cancer a high-fiber diet offers numerous health benefits Fiber promotes faster transit through the digestive tract reducing exposure to potentially harmful byproducts,” explains Dr “It also helps lower cholesterol levels and can reduce the risk of hemorrhoids — which The goal is at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five days a week “There is growing evidence that a sedentary lifestyle contributes to an increased risk of colorectal cancer potentially through effects on bowel motility inflammation and metabolic health,” says Dr “Engaging in regular physical activity has been associated with improved digestion and can play a role in reducing cancer risk and supporting overall health.” By focusing on eating better and exercising you’ll be able to maintain a healthy weight which is vital for preventing colorectal cancer BMI is only a rough estimate that doesn’t account for muscle mass fat distribution or individual body composition — so “Excess body fat may contribute to chronic inflammation insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances — all of which can play a role in cancer development,” says Dr the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer has paralleled the growing obesity epidemic suggesting a potential link that warrants serious attention.” Keep an eye on your alcohol consumption your body breaks it down into acetaldehyde Cancerous tumors can grow from that damaged DNA although more recent evidence suggests that even a small amount of regular alcohol consumption can be harmful On top of many other health risks, smoking increases your risk of colon cancer, so take steps to quit right away “Smoking is one of the most consistently linked risk factors for colorectal and other cancers Of all the lifestyle factors contributing to cancer smoking stands out as likely having the most direct impact,” emphasizes Dr “While smoking is undoubtedly one of the hardest habits to break it may also be the most impactful step in not only reducing your cancer risk but also in helping to improve outcomes once diagnosed with colorectal cancer.” While about 5% of colorectal cancers are inherited if a biological family member has colorectal cancer talk to a healthcare provider about starting screenings earlier than what’s generally recommended Colonoscopy math works like this: Take the age of the youngest affected relative when they were diagnosed with advanced precancerous polyps or cancer That’s when you should start having colonoscopies and continue them every five years if your parent had advanced precancerous polyps at 50 everyone should get regular screenings with either a colonoscopy or one of the other recommended screening tests That’s when colorectal cancer risk starts increasing Regular colonoscopies prevent the majority of colorectal cancers the rate of colorectal cancer diagnosed in patients over the age of 50 is decreasing in this country It’s encouraging to share that 65% of adults aged 50 to 75 are up to date on their screenings This decrease is largely due to screening and prevention by polypectomy research shows that nearly all unscreened people know they should get a colonoscopy but still don’t Taking steps to reduce your colorectal cancer risk is important increasing your physical activity and staying on top of your screenings “Every case of colon and rectal cancer arises from a precancerous polyp or other precancerous lesion and it takes seven to 10 years on average for a benign polyp to become cancerous,” explains Dr “A colonoscopy allows doctors to find and remove colon polyps before they’re a problem.” Liska stresses that almost every patient who walks into his office with colorectal cancer had a polyp that could have been removed “They missed the boat for some reason or another,” he continues their insurance company wouldn’t pay for it or they had a colonoscopy Family history can increase your risk of developing this autoimmune disorder — you may want to see a healthcare provider for screening Choose foods that are easily broken down in your digestive system like fruits and vegetables without skins or seeds A low-FODMAP diet or gluten-free diet could help you manage your symptoms but preventive care and a healthy lifestyle can help reduce your risk high-fiber diet can help prevent gallbladder attacks and keep you pain-free Probiotics are ‘good’ bacteria that help your gut while prebiotics are foods that fuel the bacteria Cancer and its treatments can cause anemia often due to bleeding or treatment side effects bland foods and extra hydration in the first 24 hours after the procedure sleep can be tough — propping yourself up or sleeping on your side may help If you fear the unknown or find yourself needing reassurance often you may identify with this attachment style If you’re looking to boost your gut health AARP Membership — $15 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.  You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply but research shows that many adults don’t heed this advice According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 30 percent of people between the ages of 50 and 75 are not up to date with their colorectal cancer screenings; among adults ages 45 to 49 according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute A top reason people skip their screening: Many don’t know that there are tests beyond the colonoscopy a 2016 American Cancer Society (ACS) survey found And while it’s considered the gold-standard test colonoscopy is just one of several tools doctors and patients use to check for colorectal cancer — which an interventional gastroenterologist at City of Hope in Orange County Here’s what you need to know about the different screening options for colorectal cancer so that you and your doctor can make the best decision for your next screening Note that if you are at increased risk for colorectal cancer you may need to start screening before age 45 and you may need specific tests in more frequent intervals Colonoscopy is what doctors consider the gold standard to test for colon cancer and polyps or growths on the inside lining of your colon or rectum that can turn into cancer Colon cancer is often asymptomatic for many flexible tube with a camera to see inside your colon the doctor can remove them and send them for a biopsy you don’t need another colonoscopy for 10 years you should avoid solid foods and anything red since these colors can look like blood in the colon Drinking clear liquids like broth and tea can help you stay hydrated Your doctor will order you a prep kit to clean your bowels before the procedure detected 83 percent of colorectal cancer found during colonoscopy screenings This blood test requires a blood draw from your arm; then the sample is sent to a lab for evaluation The blood test is for people at average risk for colon cancer and those who don’t have a family history of the disease or previous polyps the blood test will not detect precancerous polyps a positive result is not a diagnosis; it’s an indication that a colonoscopy is needed to confirm whether cancer is present “The way we are approaching blood tests for colon cancer screening is more a complementary option to colonoscopy or for individuals who may be at higher risk for anesthesia issues and may not be a suitable candidate for an invasive procedure,” says Ekta Gupta chief of gastroenterology at University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown in Baltimore Gupta emphasizes the importance of weighing the pros and cons of each test with your doctor and says any test a patient is willing to get is better than none The test’s manufacturer stated in 2024 that it expects commercial insurance coverage to expand “following anticipated future guideline inclusion by the American Cancer Society and the U.S Computed tomography (CT) colonography — sometimes called a virtual colonoscopy — uses X-rays to produce pictures of the colon for your doctor to analyze This requires your health care provider to put a small tube in your rectum to add air into the colon and make it easier to see You will need to do the same bowel prep as a traditional colonoscopy The limitation to this procedure is that it can detect polyps that are 10 millimeters and larger If the colonography detects a polyp or another suspicious area your doctor will likely ask you to repeat it once every five years This procedure gives your doctor a look at only part of your colon (the lower third) so it may be used if you have unexplained symptoms in your lower colon Because it doesn’t check your entire colon it’s not widely used to screen for colorectal cancer says the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at least 4 out of 10 colorectal cancers start in the upper portion (right side) of the colon This test isn’t as invasive as a colonoscopy and doesn’t require sedation for people who cannot tolerate sedation require the same bowel prep as a colonoscopy does There are at-home options for screening for people who can’t or won’t undergo a colonoscopy and are at average risk for colorectal cancer These tests — which require a stool sample that is later analyzed at a lab — are noninvasive but are more likely to generate incorrect results: False-positive results mean your test indicates you have colon cancer when there is no evidence of it and false-negative results mean your test indicates you don’t have cancer when you actually might If anything suspicious appears on the test This test uses a chemical called guaiac to detect microscopic amounts of blood in the stool Gupta says this test is not used as often as other screening tools (One study found gFOBT has approximately a 50 percent sensitivity in detecting cancer; others have noted different ranges.) the gFOBT requires three separate stool samples The FIT uses antibodies to detect blood in the stool from the lower intestines this test has no drug or dietary restrictions and is less likely to react to bleeding from the upper parts of the digestive tract The CDC recommends repeating this test annually combines the FIT with a test that detects abnormal DNA in the stool that could indicate the presence of cancer or a polyp this test is more sensitive than FIT alone but it may result in false-positive results If you choose this test (called Cologuard) the FDA approved a new RNA-based stool test which detects RNA changes and blood in the stool The Affordable Care Act requires private insurers and Medicare to cover the costs of all colorectal cancer screening tests recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) while included in USPSTF screening recommendations Medicaid coverage for colorectal cancer screening varies by state check with your insurance plan to determine what is and isn’t covered you may be charged if you use an out-of-network provider or need a follow-up colonoscopy Lauren Evoy Davis is a contributing writer who has covered health and wellness for some of the nation’s top consumer publications Her work has appeared in the National Council on Aging Already a Member? Login Join AARP today for $15 for your first year when you sign up for automatic renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.  Accumulating research finds that drinking can raise your risk for several types of cancer SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age Ready to start planning your care? Call us at 800-525-2225 to make an appointment Our scientists pursue every aspect of cancer research—from exploring the biology of genes and cells Our highly-specialized educational programs shape leaders to be at the forefront of cancer care and research Adults: 800-525-2225 Children & Teens: 833-MSK-KIDS our experts provide the care and support you need Refer a patient Memorial Sloan Kettering was founded in 1884 and today is a world leader in patient care Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths among people within the Latino/Hispanic community But Rosario Costas-Muñiz, PhD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), wants people to know the good news about screening tests for colorectal cancer which can help prevent the disease and are often easier than people think Dr. Costas-Muñiz is Director of the Latino Comprehensive Psychological Oncology Program her work focuses on cancer prevention and treatment in the Latino community and she estimates that 90% of the people she cares for at MSK speak Spanish as their first language and her research delves deeply into many Latino groups “My passion about screening for colorectal cancer in the Latino community is also deeply personal,” she says “My father was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer when he was 50 “One of the things that inspires me,” she continues would he be with us now?’ That really drives my work.” Costas-Muñiz’s research has uncovered some of the biggest barriers Latinos face in seeking to protect themselves against colorectal cancer — and she has tips to help Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer among Latino/Hispanic men and also the second leading cause of cancer death. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among Latina/Hispanic women and the third leading cause of cancer death, according to the American Cancer Society MSK and major doctors’ groups advise people at average risk to begin screening for colorectal cancer at age 45 The American Cancer Society reported in 2025 that rates of colorectal screening are significantly lower in Hispanic/Latino people (52%) compared to white people (61%) Learn more about colorectal screening “Our research shows that the main barrier to more Latinos being screened for colorectal cancer is concern about insurance,” says Dr that means no insurance or being concerned that the insurance they have won’t cover the cost.” Costas-Muñiz suggests that people get in touch with their local health authorities and call providers and hospitals to ask if they offer free or reduced-rate colorectal screening “In New York state, for example, there are lots of opportunities for free screenings in different clinics, including MSK’s Ralph Lauren Center in Harlem,” she says “The HHC system (Health and Hospitals Corporation) which operates hospitals and clinics across the New York area also offers many free colorectal screening opportunities.” Another source of information and resources is the New York Citywide Colorectal Cancer Control Coalition (C5) a group of health professionals with expertise in colorectal cancer prevention that advises and collaborates with the NYC Department of Health to increase access to colorectal screenings Costas-Muñiz points out that “many people in the Latino community do not have a primary care physician to encourage them to get screened for colorectal cancer or they only see a doctor when they are really sick not for preventive care.” Even if they do have a primary healthcare provider “it may be in a setting with lots of patients and no time to ask questions The result, according to her research, is that a crucial opportunity to encourage colorectal screening is lost. “For many patients, including Latinos, it is not enough to be told: ‘It’s time for your screening.’ They need to understand what a screening is, what their options are, where to get it, and what the logistical details are, such as taking a day off work for a colonoscopy.” Costas-Muñiz recommends that people bring a list of questions to their healthcare providers to make sure their concerns are addressed.  QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT COLORECTAL SCREENING  Costas-Muñiz encourages Latinos to advocate for Spanish-language services “That could mean scheduling doctor appointments for a mother and daughter on the same day,” she notes “so the daughter can be there and even translate for the mother if needed.” Costas-Muñiz points out that for many Latinos missing a day of work to undergo a colonoscopy can present a dilemma “They may work a job where they are paid by the day and are reluctant to lose income,” she says “But I tell them that colonoscopies can prevent much larger And at-home tests are a convenient option to make sure people get screened.” Many people appreciate that these tests can be used at home and don’t require any preparation then a colonoscopy is recommended to confirm TIP: colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy is the only type of colorectal screening that can prevent cancer by removing polyps Learn more about how at-home screening compares to colonoscopies The number of older people diagnosed with colorectal cancer is going down — and so is the death rate — because of more screening and advances in treatment there has been a disturbing rise in recent years of colorectal cancer among people younger than 45 including younger people in the Latino community These younger people are often not diagnosed until the cancer is advanced MSK established the Center for Young Onset Colorectal and Gastrointestinal Cancers, the first center in the world devoted to the specific needs of people under 45 who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer it’s important for people at any age to talk with a healthcare provider if they experience troubling symptoms that last longer than a few days getting checked regularly for colorectal cancer is highly recommended Many people think of colon cancer as a disease that only affects older people the rate of colon cancer among younger adults has risen rapidly “So far, researchers don’t know why younger people are experiencing colon cancer more frequently,” said Theodore Levin a Kaiser Permanente gastroenterologist and cancer researcher in Northern California and lack of exercise are known to increase the risk of colorectal cancer for people of all ages.” Colorectal cancer, or colon cancer, occurs when small growths called polyps on the lining of the colon or rectum grow out of control Screening helps doctors find and remove polyps before they become cancerous it’s important to know the signs and symptoms to watch for and talk to your doctor about your risk factors The most common symptoms of colon cancer are visible blood in your stools or very dark stools You may also have more frequent bowel movements or feel like your bowels aren't emptying completely Pain in your belly or your rectum and unexpected weight loss can also be signs of cancer “Sometimes people don’t mention their symptoms to their doctors because they don’t think they’re serious,” said Dr it’s much easier to catch cancer early and treat it successfully.” Colon cancer usually doesn't cause symptoms until after it has already spread The good news is that getting screened regularly is one of the best ways to diagnose colon cancer early before symptoms arise there’s a convenient way to screen for colon cancer at home Kaiser Permanente provides FIT kits for all members starting at age 45 We have some of the highest screening rates for colon cancer in the country Our screening rates are among the nation’s best Source: 2024 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) There are many benefits of using FIT to screen for colon cancer Most people should start screening for colon cancer at age 45 and continue until age 75 you may need to start screening at an earlier age About 5% of people who develop colon cancer have inherited gene changes, called mutations. 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to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Qualified external researchers may request access to anonymized individual patient-level clinical data based on submitted curriculum vitae and reflecting non-conflict of interest The request proposal must also include a statistician Data requests should be sent to the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (the sponsor) study chair at tie.j@wehi.edu.au Approval of such requests is at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and the trial steering committee’s discretion and is dependent on the nature of the request the availability of the data and the intended use of the data We will attempt to respond to data requests within 2 months but this timeframe may vary depending on the requester’s availability to respond to comments a data transfer agreement will be required before any data transfer Molecular residual disease and efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer Assessment of molecular relapse detection in early-stage breast cancer Early detection of metastatic relapse and monitoring of therapeutic efficacy by ultra-deep sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA in patients with urothelial bladder carcinoma Early detection of molecular residual disease in localized lung cancer by circulating tumor DNA profiling Circulating tumor DNA analysis for detection of minimal residual disease after chemoradiotherapy for localized esophageal cancer Circulating tumor DNA analysis detects minimal residual disease and predicts recurrence in patients with stage II colon cancer Circulating tumor DNA analysis guiding adjuvant therapy in stage II colon cancer Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer with poor prognostic features Adjuvant chemotherapy is not associated with improved survival for all high-risk factors in stage II colon cancer and oxaliplatin in stage II to III colon cancer: updated 10-year survival and outcomes according to BRAF mutation and mismatch repair status of the MOSAIC study Adjuvant therapy with fluorouracil and oxaliplatin in stage II and elderly patients (between ages 70 and 75 years) with colon cancer: subgroup analyses of the Multicenter International Study of Oxaliplatin and Leucovorin in the Adjuvant Treatment of Colon Cancer trial Localised colon cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Colon Cancer, Version Version 1.2025 (National Comprehensive Cancer Center Network, 2025); https://www.nccn.org/guidelines/guidelines-detail?category=1&id=1428 Different prognostic values of KRAS exon 2 submutations and BRAF V600E mutation in microsatellite stable (MSS) and unstable (MSI) stage III colon cancer: an ACCENT/IDEA pooled analysis of seven trials Circulating tumor DNA analyses as markers of recurrence risk and benefit of adjuvant therapy for stage III colon cancer Analysis of plasma cell-free DNA by ultradeep sequencing in patients with stages I to III colorectal cancer Detection of low-frequency DNA variants by targeted sequencing of the Watson and Crick strands Real-world adjuvant chemotherapy treatment patterns and outcomes over time for resected stage II and III colorectal cancer Comparison of outcomes after fluorouracil-based adjuvant therapy for stages II and III colon cancer between 1978 to 1995 and 1996 to 2007: evidence of stage migration from the ACCENT database Adjuvant therapy for stage II colon cancer: ASCO guideline update Stage dependent recurrence patterns and post-recurrence outcomes in non-metastatic colon cancer A new prognostic and predictive tool for shared decision making in stage III colon cancer The PEGASUS trial: post-surgical liquid biopsy-guided treatment of stage III and high-risk stage II colon cancer patients IMPROVE-IT2: implementing noninvasive circulating tumor DNA analysis to optimize the operative and postoperative treatment for patients with colorectal cancer – intervention trial 2 Prognostic significance of postsurgery circulating tumor DNA in nonmetastatic colorectal cancer: individual patient pooled analysis of three cohort studies Detecting liquid remnants of solid tumors: circulating tumor DNA minimal residual disease Oxaliplatin as adjuvant therapy for colon cancer: updated results of NSABP C-07 trial Serial circulating tumour DNA analysis during multimodality treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer: a prospective biomarker study Detection and quantification of rare mutations with massively parallel sequencing Download references We thank the patients and their caregivers as well as the investigators and trial centers who participated in this trial This study was sponsored by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research The study received funding support from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (J.T GM136577 and CA06973 to B.V.; U01CA230691 to N.P.) The V Foundation for Cancer Research (Y.W.) and the Eastern Health Research Foundation (Linda Williams Memorial Grant to R.W.) decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript Christie for providing central pathology review of tumor tissue Chapman for providing project management support Foroughi for developing the study electronic database and C These authors contributed equally: Jeanne Tie Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine All authors contributed to data interpretation as well as development served as an advisor/consultant for Haystack Oncology Takeda and Daiichi Sankyo and reports funding to their institution from Pfizer is a consultant for Exact Sciences and Belay Diagnostics are consultants to Thrive Earlier Detection is a consultant to Thrive Earlier Detection are founders of and own equity in Haystack Oncology and ManaT Bio hold equity in and are consultants to CAGE Pharma is a consultant to and holds equity in Catalio Capital Management have licensed previously described technologies related to the work described in this paper from Johns Hopkins University are inventors on some of these technologies Licenses to these technologies are or will be associated with equity or royalty payments to the inventors and to Johns Hopkins University Patent applications on the work described in this paper may be filed by Johns Hopkins University The terms of all these arrangements are being managed by Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies Under a license agreement between Exact Sciences and the Johns Hopkins University and the University are entitled to royalty distributions has patent applications for intellectual property related to cancer early detection is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of PrognomiQ and an advisor for Haystack Oncology and is also a paid consultant for the Rising Tide Foundation and Bayer AG The other authors declare no competing interests Nature Medicine thanks Julio Garcia-Aguilar reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work Primary Handling Editor: Anna Maria Ranzoni in collaboration with the Nature Medicine team Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Histogram showing post-op ctDNA detection rates for known prognostic factors for stage II colon cancer: T stage presence or absence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) Patient’s primary colon tumors were sequenced for 15 commonly mutated genes in colorectal cancer as shown below The frequency of mutations (MUT) for each gene are shown in percentage; the number of cases with ctDNA detection for each mutated and wild-type (WT) gene are shown a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03579-w Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. Care and ServicesComprehensive care for all your health needs. Our LocationsFind care close to you at our locations throughout the region. Patients and VisitorsGet the information you need before Polyps are abnormal growths that can form on the inner lining of the colon they tend to invade deeper layers of the colon requiring the use of more advanced endoscopic techniques such as endoscopic submucosal dissection to ensure proper resection for optimal diagnosis and treatment.  Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) can help patients with advanced precancerous polyps as well as polyps with early cancer to avoid invasive surgery while achieving excellent outcomes. Gastroenterologist Suha Jabak, MD explains this minimally invasive procedure ESD is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure that removes colon polyps with advanced histology and early cancer by dissecting through the submucosal layer of the colon allowing for complete removal of the targeted tissue This procedure not only allows to remove large polyps in one piece which is important for accurate histopathological diagnosis but also provides curative treatment for precancerous lesions as well as for specific lesions with early cancer ESD is not suitable for all colorectal polyps It is recommended as the choice of treatment in complex polyps with risk of having early submucosal invasion It is considered a more advanced procedure compared to endoscopic mucosal resection and a less invasive procedure than surgical resection.  "It is primarily used to remove polyps that we suspect may have early cancer that is limited to the mucosa or to the superficial layers of the submucosa,” Dr “It is not a treatment for polyps with invasive cancer as surgery remains the only adequate resection technique.”   The decision to perform ESD begins with careful assessment of the polyp during colonoscopy we can predict whether it has early dysplasia "This evaluation is done with careful examination with white light the fine details of the mucosal surface pattern and the vascular architecture." This detailed examination using advanced imaging technologies available within modern colonoscopes allows gastroenterologists to accurately assess the risk of invasive cancer and choose the optimal resection technique.  ESD offers several advantages when offered to the right subset of patients It is shown that it results in lower recurrence rates and higher complete resection rates when compared to endoscopic mucosal resection It has also been associated with lower risk of complications and quicker recovery time when compared to surgical alternatives.  “ESD is considered an organ preserving procedure which sometimes may save patients from morbid surgical interventions again when offered to the right patients” Dr ESD procedures are performed in centers where expert gastroenterologists and surgeons work together to provide the best quality of care for the patients Recovery from ESD is similar to other endoscopic procedures patients can be discharged on the same day,” Dr “If the procedure was prolonged and not straightforward we admit patients overnight and monitor for any complications Those patients can be discharged the next day if they are doing well.” Patients with family history of colorectal cancer and those with previously identified advanced polyps may benefit from seeing a specialist who is able to identify Additionally, the Nebraska Medicine Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic provides specialized care for higher-risk patients particularly those with significant family history of cancer and those with hereditary syndromes. “Providers from different specialties look at the patient in a comprehensive way,” Dr “They provide genetic counseling and long-term follow-ups.” Colon polyps may harbor early cancer. It is important to be able to recognize these high-risk lesions and offer the optimal resection technique. When referring patients with high risk colorectal lesions, consider a consultation with our Gastrointestinal Care team to determine if ESD might be appropriate.  For more information or to refer a patient Get taken care of today. Call 800.922.0000 or Schedule an Appointment Yogurt is not only just part of a delicious breakfast A new study led by Mass General Brigham researchers found it may also have protective benefits against a certain type of aggressive colon cancer. These participants were followed for at least three decades Researchers found people who ate two or more servings of yogurt a week had lower rates of proximal colon cancer that were positive for Bifidobacterium, according to the study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Gut Microbes. Ultraprocessed food: Is it causing colon cancer? New study suggests it's possible “It has long been believed that yogurt and other fermented milk products are beneficial for gastrointestinal health,” said co-senior author Dr a pathology investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital “Our new findings suggest that this protective effect may be specific for Bifidobacterium-positive tumors.” Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and the fourth-leading cause in women The organization estimates nearly 53,000 people will die from it in 2025 While the death rates from colorectal cancer have been dropping in older adults, rates have been increasing by about 1% per year since the mid-2000s in people under 55. The new yogurt study adds to a growing body of evidence that shows the connection between diet the gut microbiome and the risk of colorectal cancer chief of clinical and translational epidemiology at Massachusetts General Hospital “It provides an additional avenue for us to investigate the specific role of these factors in the risk of colorectal cancer among young people,” he said Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com Metrics details we demonstrate that the oncogenic potential of pks+ E coli critically depends on bacterial adhesion to host epithelial cells mediated by the type 1 pilus adhesin FimH and the F9 pilus adhesin FmlH Blocking bacterial adhesion using a pharmacological FimH inhibitor attenuates colibactin-mediated genotoxicity and CRC exacerbation We also show that allelic switching of FimH strongly influences the genotoxic potential of pks+ E coli and can induce a genotoxic gain-of-function in the probiotic strain Nissle 1917 Adhesin-mediated epithelial binding subsequently allows the production of the genotoxin colibactin in close proximity to host epithelial cells which promotes DNA damage and drives CRC development These findings present promising therapeutic routes for the development of anti-adhesive therapies aimed at mitigating colibactin-induced DNA damage and inhibiting the initiation and progression of CRC particularly in individuals at risk for developing CRC Host-microbiota maladaptation in colorectal cancer The intestinal microbiota in colorectal cancer Gut microbiota in colorectal cancer: mechanisms of action and clinical applications Mutational signature in colorectal cancer caused by genotoxic pks+ E Zeb2 drives invasive and microbiota-dependent colon carcinoma Global burden of colorectal cancer in 2020 and 2040: incidence and mortality estimates from GLOBOCAN Global burden of colorectal cancer: emerging trends and national burden of colorectal cancer and its attributable risk factors in 195 countries and territories 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 Zepeda-Rivera, M. et al. A distinct Fusobacterium nucleatum clade dominates the colorectal cancer niche. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07182-w (2024) coli producing cyclomodulin and genotoxin in colon cancer Microbial genomic analysis reveals the essential role of inflammation in bacteria-induced colorectal cancer Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis harbor colonic biofilms containing tumorigenic bacteria Escherichia coli induces DNA double-strand breaks in eukaryotic cells Escherichia coli induces DNA damage in vivo and triggers genomic instability in mammalian cells Improved detection of colibactin-induced mutations by genotoxic E Bacterial genotoxin colibactin promotes colon tumour growth by inducing a senescence-associated secretory phenotype Genome-guided design of a defined mouse microbiota that confers colonization resistance against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium Intestinal inflammation targets cancer-inducing activity of the microbiota Locoregional effects of microbiota in a preclinical model of colon carcinogenesis Colibactin-producing Escherichia coli induce the formation of invasive carcinomas in a chronic inflammation-associated mouse model Autophagy of intestinal epithelial cells inhibits colorectal carcinogenesis induced by colibactin-producing Escherichia coli in ApcMin/+ mice Divergent biosynthesis yields a cytotoxic aminomalonate-containing precolibactin Inflammation-induced adhesin-receptor interaction provides a fitness advantage to uropathogenic E FimH adhesin of type 1 pili is assembled into a fibrillar tip structure in the Enterobacteriaceae Structure-based discovery of glycomimetic FmlH ligands as inhibitors of bacterial adhesion during urinary tract infection Biphenyl Gal and GalNAc FmlH lectin antagonists of uropathogenic E coli (UPEC): optimization through iterative rational drug design Type 1 fimbriation and phase switching in a natural Escherichia coli fimB null strain Point mutations in FimH adhesin of Crohn’s disease-associated adherent-invasive Escherichia coli enhance intestinal inflammatory response Microevolution in fimH gene of mucosa-associated Escherichia coli strains isolated from pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease Positively selected FimH residues enhance virulence during urinary tract infection by altering FimH conformation a novel FimH blocker in patients with active Crohn’s disease Blockage of bacterial FimH prevents mucosal inflammation associated with Crohn’s disease Reuter, C., Alzheimer, M., Walles, H. & Oelschlaeger, T. A. An adherent mucus layer attenuates the genotoxic effect of colibactin. Cell Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1111/cmi.12812 (2018) Probiotic Escherichia coli NISSLE 1917 for inflammatory bowel disease applications Genotoxicity of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 strain cannot be dissociated from its probiotic activity Virulence properties of Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with inflammatory bowel disease Presence of adherent Escherichia coli strains in ileal mucosa of patients with Crohn’s disease Short-term mucosal disruption enables colibactin-producing E coli to cause long-term perturbation of colonic homeostasis Structural weakening of the colonic mucus barrier is an early event in ulcerative colitis pathogenesis A dietary fiber-deprived gut microbiota degrades the colonic mucus barrier and enhances pathogen susceptibility Colibactin-producing Escherichia coli enhance resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs by promoting epithelial to mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell emergence The colibactin-producing Escherichia coli alters the tumor microenvironment to immunosuppressive lipid overload facilitating colorectal cancer progression and chemoresistance A small molecule inhibitor prevents gut bacterial genotoxin production Targeted depletion of pks+ bacteria from a fecal microbiota using specific antibodies Gencay, Y. E. et al. Engineered phage with antibacterial CRISPR-Cas selectively reduce E. coli burden in mice. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01759-y (2023) Human urine decreases function and expression of type 1 pili in uropathogenic Escherichia coli One-step inactivation of chromosomal genes in Escherichia coli K-12 using PCR products and clonogenicity of intestinal stem cells MultiQC: summarize analysis results for multiple tools and samples in a single report FastQC: a quality control tool for high throughput sequence data (2010) Trimmomatic: a flexible trimmer for Illumina sequence data accurate and scalable read mapping by seed-and-vote RNA-seq workflow: gene-level exploratory analysis and differential expression Moderated estimation of fold change and dispersion for RNA-seq data with DESeq2 Korotkevich, G. et al. Fast gene set enrichment analysis. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/060012 (2019) GSVA: gene set variation analysis for microarray and RNA-seq data Development of flow cytometry based adherence assay for Neisseria gonorrhoeae using 5′-carboxyfluorosceinsuccidyl ester Enhanced Escherichia coli adherence and invasion in Crohn’s disease and colon cancer Sex and virulence in Escherichia coli: an evolutionary perspective Comparative metabolomics and structural characterizations illuminate colibactin pathway-dependent small molecules Download references Bonnet for the 11G5 and clbQ-mutant strains; the staff at the Clean Mouse Facility of the University of Bern and S Ganal for providing the OMM12 bacterial cocktail; L are predoctoral fellows supported by an FWO doctoral fellowship laboratory was supported by grants from Ghent University (BOF.GOA031-22 the FWO (EOS-G0H2522N-40007505) and Foundation against Cancer (F/2020/1421) laboratory was supported by VIB and research grants from Ghent University (BOF/24J/2021/052 and BOF23/GOA/001) the FWO (G090322N the Belgian Foundation against Cancer (F/2018/1200 and F/2022/1899) and the FOREUM Foundation for Research in Rheumatology is supported by Cancer Research UK (RCCCDF-Nov23/100001) and a Lord Kelvin/Adam Smith (LKAS) Leadership Fellowship from the University of Glasgow; I.D.I R01CA286920 and the Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J These authors contributed equally: Maude Jans These authors jointly supervised this work: Han Remaut Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics The Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease designed and performed all in vivo and most in vitro experiments isolated and characterized bacterial strains and generated knockouts Blancke assisted with multiple experiments generated the complement bacterial strains provided fluorophore-labelled purified lectins and performed pilus purification and blotting assisted with cytokine analysis and immunoblotting experiments provided technical assistance with flow cytometry coordinated all germ-free and gnotobiotic mouse experiments performed and analysed NMA quantification experiments provided ideas and coordinated the project Nature thanks Jens Puschhof and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Peer reviewer reports are available Kruskal-Wallis (a) or one-way ANOVA (b) with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test Source Data one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test (h,j Source Data Schematic diagram of colibactin biosynthesis showing the detectable byproduct N-myristoyl asparagine (NMA) Simplified schematic representation of colibactin production in the periplasm of pks + E 11G5 and 11G5∆clbQ cultures after normalization to bacterial density Data are represented as mean and are representative of two independent experiments Source Data Method of residual maximum likelihood (d) or one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison test (e Source Data one-way (b,c,f,j,k) or two-way (l) ANOVA with Tukey’s (b) or Dunnett’s (c,f,j,k,l) multiple comparison test or Kruskall-Wallis with Dunn’s multiple comparisons test (g) Source Data Scanning electron microscopy images of HT-29 cells infected (3 h) with E Relative fimH and FmlH expression in 11G5 and colibactin-deficient 11G5∆clbQ mutant strain Bacterial adhesion assay on HT-29 cells after 3 h infection Gentamicin protection assay of HT-29 infected cells (3 h infection Right panel: HT-29 cells stained for actin (red) and Hoechst (blue) after infection with CFSE-labelled bacterial strains (green) Images representative of two independent experiments Bacterial adhesion by flow cytometry on HCT116 and HT-29 cells after 3 h infection respectively Relative clbQ expression in 11G5 and adhesin mutant strains γH2AX immunofluorescence in HT-29 cells infected with E Cells were infected for 6 h and medium was replaced with gentamicin-containing medium (100 μg/mL for 30 min Images are representative of two independent experiments Flow cytometric analysis of γH2AX in HT-29 cells after infection Data are representative of two independent experiments Western blot analysis of γH2AX on HCT116 cells infected with Nissle 1917 Data are representative of three independent experiments technical replicates) and are representative of three independent experiments unless stated otherwise Source Data Purified adhesin lectin domains FimHLD (type 1 pili) and FmlHLD (F9 pili) were tested for binding to biopsies of human healthy colon tissue (n = 1 sample) polyps (n = 2 samples) and CRC (n = 8 samples) Sections were stained with DAPI (blue) anti-Muc2 (green) and the purified lectin domain (red) Right panels: sections were stained for T-antigen (T-Ag White dashed lines delineate surface epithelium j) or two-way (h) ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons test Source Data two-way ANOVA with Sidak’s multiple comparisons (f) Source Data two-sided unpaired t-test with Welch’s correction (f) Source Data including western blot source gel data and flow cytometry gating strategies Differentially expressed epithelial genes after 11G5 infection compared with after Nissle 1917 infection Supplementary Tables 2–8: bacterial serotype information details on the histopathological scoring system details on antibodies used in this study and clinical and pathological characterization of human patient samples Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08135-z Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins (2025) Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins (2024) Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research Colon cancer cases have been increasing among younger adults and now researchers think they've identified a potential culprit Colibactin leaves behind specific patterns of DNA mutations that are more than three times as common in early-onset colon cancers specifically in adults younger than 40 compared to those 70 or older "These mutation patterns are a kind of historical record in the genome, and they point to early-life exposure to colibactin as a driving force behind early-onset disease," senior researcher Ludmil Alexandrov said in a news release He is a professor of bioengineering and cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California-San Diego Colon cancers have been steadily increasing among people under 50 so much so that guidelines have been updated to lower the age of screening to 45 colon cancers have been declining among older adults thanks to screening methods like colonoscopy researchers analyzed 981 colon cancer samples collected from patients in 11 countries The analysis revealed that colibactin is a common toxin among these cases The results show that colibactin's damaging effects begin early in tumor development and account for about 15% of the earliest genetic alterations that directly promote cancer development "If someone acquires one of these driver mutations by the time they're 10 years old," Alexandrov explained "they could be decades ahead of schedule for developing colorectal cancer More research now is needed to figure out how children are being exposed to colibactin-producing bacteria The team also is working on an early detection test that could analyze stool samples for colobactin-related mutations "This reshapes how we think about cancer," Alexandrov said "It might not be just about what happens in adulthood -- cancer could potentially be influenced by events in early life The American Cancer Society has more on colon cancer rates Cloudy with more rounds of showers and possibly some downpours or a t-storm It’s becoming more common for people under 50 to be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer (Ivanhoe Newswire) --- It’s becoming more common for people under 50 to be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer rates increased by more than 2% per year between 2012 and 2021 It’s not just a disease of the obese or overweight people,” said David Liska “We found that since the 90s there’s been a study and alarming rise in young people with colorectal cancer,” stated Dr Now studies out of Australia reveal that healthy eating may help reduce incidents of colon cancer whole grains and healthy fats while limiting sugar and alcohol significantly reduce cancer risk and improve health outcomes “There’s a lot of evidence also supporting that obesity and sedentary lifestyles are associated with a higher risk for colorectal cancer,” stated Dr physicians say diets high in red meat and alcohol are associated with an increased risk of colon cancer The Australian researchers found high fiber foods help reduce inflammation but eating non-whole grains and sugar with those fibrous foods actually wipe out the positive benefits But when it comes to why more young people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer: The evidence does show that diet changes can help prevent the disease in all ages Liska says the majority of young people are developing colorectal cancer in a similar place — the left side of the colon By the time they experience symptoms — such as bloody stools — they’re often at a more advanced stage of the disease That’s because doctors don’t recommend colorectal screenings until age 45 Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device The gut bacteria may trigger DNA mutations that can lead to cancer It’s still not clear why colon cancer cases continue to rise among young people — but researchers may have come across a lead.  A new study has identified a potential culprit: a toxin called colibactin that’s capable of altering DNA. Scientists found that exposure to this gut bacteria in early childhood can lead to mutations within colon cells, which could be what’s causing so many young adults to develop colorectal cancer (CRC).  Here’s a closer look at this fascinating new research and what it tells us about this potential carcinogen.  examined tissue samples from nearly 1,000 CRC patients The team discovered that colibactin leaves behind a specific pattern of DNA mutations and that patients who developed the disease before the age of 40 were more than three times as likely to exhibit this genetic hallmark than those who were diagnosed after 70.  “This reshapes how we think about cancer,” he says “It might not be just about what happens in adulthood — cancer could potentially be influenced by events in early life Colibactin is a bacterial toxin that’s produced by certain strains of E which is often referred to as pks-positive Between 20 to 40 percent of people carry this strain associate professor and director of microbial genomics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Most healthy adults have a thick layer of mucus that protects their gut cells from this toxin “Problems arise when this protective barrier is breached,” Dr allowing colibactin to inflict DNA damage.  “It’s suspected that these factors could establish long-term vulnerabilities making individuals more prone to colorectal cancer decades later,” Dr He also noted that colibactin is not the only microbe that’s been implicated in CRC Other studies have looked at a bacteria called Fusobacterium nucleatum and can fuel the growth of cancer cells in the gut.  “It’s unlikely that a single factor is responsible for the rise in early onset cancers,” Dr and biological shifts are likely interacting throughout an individual’s lifetime — cumulatively increasing the risk.” Sign up here to jumpstart your mornings with Katie's dynamic daily newsletter Jumpstart your mornings with Katie's dynamic daily newsletter Plus recipes to make with each gut-friendly fruit Emily Lachtrupp is a registered dietitian experienced in nutritional counseling She's worked with clients who struggle with diabetes you can find her enjoying all that Vermont has to offer with her family and her dog American Cancer Society. Key statistics for colorectal cancer Wu ZY, Chen JL, Li H, Su K, Han YW. Different types of fruit intake and colorectal cancer risk: A meta-analysis of observational studies Usta A, Yüksek V, Çetin S, Dede S. Lycopene prevents cell death in NRK-52E cells by inhibition of high glucose-activated DNA damage and apoptotic, autophagic, and necrotic pathways Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology Kopustinskiene DM, Jakstas V, Savickas A, Bernatoniene J. Flavonoids as anticancer agents She began her career in online business support publishing before migrating to medical and healthcare content in 2016 Dr. Saurabh Sethi is an ABMS board certified internal medicine physician specializing in gastroenterology He is currently a gastroenterology practitioner in the San Francisco Bay Area and lifestyle writer and editor living in Birmingham She has previously written for Cooking Light you’ll likely find her watching “Murder She Wrote” and sorting her collection of books that she’ll certainly one day find time to read While attempting to establish himself as a recording artist Robby inadvertently launched himself instead into a career as a technical writer for companies that make musical instruments and recording equipment he transitioned into writing for a variety of popular digital media companies where his interest in demystifying complex subject matter for readers found a welcome new outlet The career shift also allowed Robby to spend more time pursuing his wide-ranging interests He has been writing for Medical News Today and Healthline since the winter of 2020 Robby lives in Central New York with his wife and two daughters Elizabeth Pratt is a medical journalist based in Australia She has a master’s degree in health communication and has worked across all forms of media Her work has appeared in a variety of outlets like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation caffeinated coffee and water into the colon through the rectum Scientific evidence for its effectiveness is limited Coffee enemas may have originated from German physicians searching for a cancer treatment in the early 1900s But it was the Gerson therapy that helped put the procedure on the map Max Gerson was a German-American doctor who believed that you could detox the body and give it the nutrients it needs to heal itself using an organic plant-based diet His rigorous program became known as the Gerson therapy Some people believe that coffee enemas can stimulate bile flow and the production of glutathione there are no medical guidelines about who might benefit from coffee enemas and more research is necessary to understand the possible benefits Read on to learn more about the possible benefits of coffee enemas For many people, one of the main reported benefits of a coffee enema is relief from constipation Coffee enema supporters claim the procedure can also have other benefits, such as: there’s no research to support any of these claims There’s no scientific evidence that proves that coffee enemas are helpful in treating any medical condition Many medical professionals consider colon cleansing to be unnecessary because your body’s digestive system is capable of getting rid of waste There aren’t any official medical guidelines about who should get a coffee enema If you’re considering a coffee enema to treat constipation or manage a health condition it’s best to contact a doctor for advice on treatments that may be safer and more effective Coffee enemas can also be harmful. A 2020 review of case reports found that self-administered coffee enemas caused adverse effects such as: The review also noted three deaths following coffee enema The following occurred in the respective cases: While underlying conditions may have increased the risk of severe side effects or death in some cases these findings suggest that coffee enemas are generally not safe There are no official guidelines on how to perform a coffee enema You should avoid self-administering a coffee enema at home Some clinics offer coffee enemas. However, as there are records of coffee enemas causing severe side effects and death you should always speak with a doctor if you’re considering an enema If you choose to have a coffee enema and experience any serious side effects Some people claim that coffee enemas can offer benefits such as treating constipation case studies have reported serious side effects There are also three records of patient deaths following self-administered coffee enemas They can provide more information about the possible risks of enemas including whether it can worsen an existing health condition They can also provide advice on treatments that may be safer and more effective News Center News Center Research Education Patient Care Give About Research Education Patient Care Give About Preventive Medicine October 28 Blood tests for colorectal cancer are an option for patients who would otherwise not be screened but they are not as effective as colonoscopies or stool tests Newly available blood tests to screen for colorectal cancer sound far more appealing than a standard colonoscopy Instead of clearing your bowels and undergoing an invasive procedure the tests&nbsp;require only a simple blood draw A study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine concluded that the new tests are ideal for people who shy away from other colorectal cancer screening if too many people who would have undergone colonoscopies or stool-based tests switch to the blood tests Because the more established colonoscopies and stool tests&nbsp;are more effective at detecting early cancers and precancerous polyps than the emerging blood tests their long-term impact is projected to be substantially greater than that of blood tests 28&nbsp;in&nbsp;Annals of Internal Medicine if you're willing and able to do a colonoscopy or stool-based test don't switch to&nbsp;a blood test.&quot; the blood tests will be effective at reducing colorectal cancer deaths only if people who reliably take the test every three years agree to receive a follow-up colonoscopy if the blood test returns a positive result.&nbsp; With the current screening rates in the population about 4% of all American adults will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer at some point in their lifetimes Regular screening can help identify early cancers and precancerous polyps and reduce a person's risk of developing Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all adults between the ages of 45 and 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.&nbsp; screening has required&nbsp;either a once-a-decade colonoscopy in which a thin flexible tube with a camera is used to look inside a person's large intestine clinicians can not only detect colorectal cancers but also remove precancerous polyps which can develop into cancers &quot;This makes colonoscopy a unique cancer screening method because you also have the possibility of cancer prevention,&quot; Ladabaum said there are many people who are not getting screened at all or who are not getting screened as often as they should.&quot; Data show that about 1 in 3 American adults in the recommended age range have never been screened for colorectal cancer so clinicians are hoping that new methods could encourage them to undergo screening.&nbsp; Food and Drug Administration approved the first multi-target stool-based colorectal screening test in which stool collected at home by a patient every one to three years is analyzed for the presence of small amounts of blood or cancer DNA the FDA approved a new method&nbsp;that looks for bits of cancer DNA circulating in a person's bloodstream.&nbsp;These first-generation blood-based tests do not diagnose precancerous polyps well.&nbsp;\n &quot;This is a time of intense interest in the colorectal cancer screening field The paradigm in screening could be changing,&quot; Ladabaum said &quot;But conducting a randomized controlled trial directly comparing these emerging screening tests over the long term is unfeasible which leaves patients in a difficult place when they're weighing their options.&quot;&nbsp; Ladabaum and his collaborators collected previously published data on six commercially available or in-development blood- and stool-based screening tests as well as the gold-standard colonoscopy they modeled the relative rate of colorectal cancer and deaths among 100,000 average-risk people who used each screening approach.&nbsp; Among 100,000 people who receive a colonoscopy every 10 years 1,543 would develop colorectal cancer and 672 would die from the disease For stool-based tests every one to three years (depending on test) the incidence of colorectal cancer ranged from 2,181 to 2,498 cases per 100,000 people recommended to be conducted every three years and deaths ranged from 1,604 to 1,679&nbsp;-&nbsp;about two and a half times as many deaths as in the colonoscopy group.&nbsp; when the group looked at the costs associated with each test they found that colonoscopies and stool-based tests were more cost-effective than the blood-based tests.&nbsp; &quot;The blood tests are certainly much better than nothing but you'll worsen the population outcomes and raise health&nbsp;care costs if you see people switching from colonoscopies to first-generation blood tests,&quot; Ladabaum said.&nbsp; When Ladabaum's group modeled the effect of patient choices on population-wide colorectal cancer rates they found most people continuing&nbsp;to screen with colonoscopy or stool-based tests as the best-case scenario Blood tests should be used only by people who would not otherwise be screened.&nbsp; The research team said they need real-world data on patient choices about colorectal cancer screening to better refine their model on how the blood tests will affect cancer rates.&nbsp; &quot;It remains to be seen who will really use the blood tests,&quot; Ladabaum said &quot;Will it be people who have never been screened using any other method And will they be willing to get a follow-up colonoscopy if indicated?&quot; and the current results would then not hold true for future generations of the tests.&nbsp; the researchers hope that patients&nbsp;-&nbsp;and clinicians&nbsp;-&nbsp;stick with the most effective screening methods currently available we want as many people as possible to get screened for colorectal cancer and that's likely going to mean a combination of different tests being used across the population,&quot; Ladabaum said.&nbsp; Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and the Oregon Health and Sciences University&nbsp;contributed to the research.&nbsp; Funding for this research was provided by the Gorrindo Family Fund.&nbsp; the tests require only a simple blood draw Because the more established colonoscopies and stool tests are more effective at detecting early cancers and precancerous polyps than the emerging blood tests "The first generation of blood tests are a really exciting development in the colorectal cancer screening paradigm," said Uri Ladabaum, MD, a professor of gastroenterology and the first author of the paper 28 in Annals of Internal Medicine the blood tests will be effective at reducing colorectal cancer deaths only if people who reliably take the test every three years agree to receive a follow-up colonoscopy if the blood test returns a positive result.  Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all adults between the ages of 45 and 75 be screened for colorectal cancer.  screening has required either a once-a-decade colonoscopy "This makes colonoscopy a unique cancer screening method because you also have the possibility of cancer prevention," Ladabaum said or who are not getting screened as often as they should." so clinicians are hoping that new methods could encourage them to undergo screening.  the FDA approved a new method that looks for bits of cancer DNA circulating in a person's bloodstream. These first-generation blood-based tests do not diagnose precancerous polyps well.  "This is a time of intense interest in the colorectal cancer screening field The paradigm in screening could be changing," Ladabaum said "But conducting a randomized controlled trial directly comparing these emerging screening tests over the long term is unfeasible which leaves patients in a difficult place when they're weighing their options."  they modeled the relative rate of colorectal cancer and deaths among 100,000 average-risk people who used each screening approach.  and deaths ranged from 1,604 to 1,679 - about two and a half times as many deaths as in the colonoscopy group.  they found that colonoscopies and stool-based tests were more cost-effective than the blood-based tests.  "The blood tests are certainly much better than nothing but you'll worsen the population outcomes and raise health care costs if you see people switching from colonoscopies to first-generation blood tests," Ladabaum said.  they found most people continuing to screen with colonoscopy or stool-based tests as the best-case scenario Blood tests should be used only by people who would not otherwise be screened.  The research team said they need real-world data on patient choices about colorectal cancer screening to better refine their model on how the blood tests will affect cancer rates.  "It remains to be seen who will really use the blood tests," Ladabaum said "Will it be people who have never been screened using any other method And will they be willing to get a follow-up colonoscopy if indicated?" and the current results would then not hold true for future generations of the tests.  the researchers hope that patients - and clinicians - stick with the most effective screening methods currently available and that's likely going to mean a combination of different tests being used across the population," Ladabaum said.  and the Oregon Health and Sciences University contributed to the research.  Funding for this research was provided by the Gorrindo Family Fund.  Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. 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