Study Identifies Birthweight, Sex, Ethnicity, and Paternal Age as Risk Factors for Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer
核心洞察
A California study of 1,221 early-onset colorectal cancer (搜索) cases and 61,050 controls found men had a 34% higher risk compared with women.
Hispanic ethnicity was associated with a 43% higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (搜索) relative to white ethnicity.
Among females, every 500g increase in birthweight raised risk by 10%, and having a father aged 35 or older was linked to a 56% higher risk.
A new study published in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, has identified several demographic, birth, and parental characteristics that may influence the risk of developing early-onset colorectal cancer (搜索)—defined as diagnosis before age 50. The research, led by Sunny Siddique, MPH, PhD, of the Yale School of Public Health (搜索), analyzed data from 1,221 individuals born and diagnosed with early-onset colorectal cancer in California between 1988 and 2021, alongside 61,050 matched individuals without cancer.
The findings shed light on potential risk factors contributing to the rising incidence of colorectal cancer among younger populations, a trend that has increasingly concerned clinicians and public health experts.
Sex and Ethnicity Emerge as Significant Factors
The study revealed that men faced a 34% higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (搜索) compared with women. Ethnicity also played a notable role: Hispanic individuals had a 43% higher risk relative to white individuals. These disparities point to the need for targeted screening and prevention strategies that account for demographic differences.
Maternal and Birth Characteristics Show Protective and Risk-Associated Effects
Having a foreign-born mother was associated with a 15% lower risk of early-onset colorectal cancer (搜索), suggesting that maternal birthplace may confer some protective effect. Among females specifically, every 500-gram increase in birthweight was associated with a 10% increase in early-onset colorectal cancer risk. Additionally, having a father aged 35 years or older at the time of birth was linked to a 56% higher risk among female offspring.
Investigators did not observe any links between early-onset colorectal cancer (搜索) risk and other demographic, birth, and parental characteristics examined in the study.
Call for Further Investigation into Mechanisms
"Evaluating demographic, birth, and parental characteristics is important in understanding what's causing the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (搜索)," said Siddique. "Our findings warrant future studies aimed to understand the mechanisms through which factors such as male sex, Hispanic ethnicity, birthweight, maternal birthplace, and paternal age may influence risk of early onset colorectal cancer."
The authors emphasized that additional research is needed to uncover the biological and environmental mechanisms behind these associations. Understanding these pathways could ultimately inform risk stratification tools and early detection efforts for younger populations.