Epigenetic Modulation, Intratumoral Microbiome, and Immunity in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer.

ABSTRACT: The incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults (age of diagnosis <50 years) has been rapidly increasing. Although ∼20% of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) cases are due to germline mutations, the etiology of the majority of EOCRC cases remains poorly understood. Nongenetic factors such as environmental exposure and lifestyle changes are likely to have a direct link to the increased incidence of sporadic EOCRC. We hypothesize that such factors may be observable as alterations in the epigenome, microbiome, and immunome. We characterized the DNA methylation (DNAm) signature and measured DNAm age in EOCRC by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Furthermore, we carefully identified intratumoral microbes from TCGA and the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network datasets and then

SUBMITTER: Jin N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12606411 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature