A new study from Providence’s Health Research Accelerator has identified several clinical and lifestyle factors—most notably alcohol use and certain comorbidities—that may signal increased risk for colorectal cancer in adults under 45.
Published in Cancer Prevention Research, the study analyzed six years of deidentified data from Providence patients ages 20–49, comparing those diagnosed with colorectal cancer to similar patients without the disease. Researchers found that younger patients with colorectal cancer were more likely to have a history of alcohol consumption as well as conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and cardiovascular disease.
The team developed one of the most comprehensive risk models to date, offering a way to identify both symptomatic and asymptomatic young adults who could benefit from earlier screening—even without traditional markers like family history or known genetic syndromes.
“Our study featured one of the largest samples of early-onset colorectal cancer cases ever reviewed,” said Staci Wendt, Ph.D., research director at Providence’s Health Research Accelerator. “By examining demographics and clinical characteristics together, we could better understand how these factors interact.”
The research was conducted in partnership with the Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California.
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