Investigating the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer TheoryLab

The troubling increase of early-onset colorectal cancer incidence and mortality has led to a shift in the age at which the American Cancer Society recommends beginning colorectal cancer screening, from age 50 to age 45.

What are some of the biological and environmental factors that might be behind this rise in early-onset colorectal cancer? How can we prevent it?

And what is behind the troubling racial and ethnic disparities we see in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality?

Joining us to take us through these issues is one of the leading researchers in this space. Peter Campbell, PhD, is Scientific Director, Epidemiology Research, in the Population Science Department of the American Cancer Society.

4:05 – The main areas of focus in his research program

7:26 – The differing incidence and mortality rates for colorectal cancer in younger and older Americans

10:57 – On racial/ethnic colorectal cancer disparities

13:26 – Digging into the “why” behind some of these trends

19:36 – How the American Cancer Society is trying to reduce disparities and reverse the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer

23:04 – On the Colorectal Cancer Pooling Project

26:18 – Where his team hopes this work could lead in 5 years

28:37 – Thoughts on tumor heterogeneity
(One of the challenges of colorectal cancer is that not only are tumors different from patient to patient, but they differ within individual patients as time progresses. Could these molecular differences in tumors could be associated with lifestyle? How could we find out?)

31:58 – On what it might mean for colorectal cancer survival if there are associations between how we live and colorectal cancer heterogeneity