
While the overall rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) is declining, CRC specifically among young patients is increasing. Previous studies have shown that CRC in patients younger than 50 years old tends to be more aggressive than CRC in older patients.
Now a new study seeks to unpack the genetic differences between colorectal cancer (CRC) in young and old patients, possibly pointing toward different treatments and strategies in combating the young form of the disease. The University of Colorado Cancer Center study will be presented on Saturday, January 23, 2016, at the 2016 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
"Comparing nine tumors from younger patients (median age 31) with nine tumors from older patients (median age 73), showed distinct genetic differences between younger and older patients with colorectal cancer," says Christopher Lieu,investigator at the CU Cancer Center and assistant professor of medical oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
The enrichment of ERBB2 (Her2/neu) in samples from younger patients is an especially interesting target given that there are FDA-approved therapies that target this particular gene.
The group plans to validate the finding of these differences in a larger patient population. Then, if these pathways indeed prove to be important drivers of CRC in young patients, the group hopes to explore trials of drugs targeting these potential tumor drivers. Toward this goal, the group has gathered the important resource of tumor samples grown from the tissues of young CRC patients, allowing further preclinical genetic and drug testing.
"If I were to shoot for the stars, I would say that our end goal is to be able to offer better treatments for this population of young colorectal cancer patients that seems to be at higher risk from the disease," Lieu says.
Source: Eurekalert