Can a gut bacteria make kids get colon cancer earlier?
Abstract 2796: Colibactin mutation signatures are associated with younger age of onset in colorectal cancer
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Colibactin’s DNA signature can be detected using a standard clinical test (MSK-IMPACT), not just expensive whole-genome sequencing.
Most mutation signatures require full genome sequencing — but this study proved a targeted cancer panel used in clinics can spot this bacterial fingerprint, making it scalable.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re under 55 and have a family history of colon cancer, ask your doctor if tumor genomic testing (like MSK-IMPACT) was done — and if SBS-pks was detected.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Colibactin’s DNA signature can be detected using a standard clinical test (MSK-IMPACT), not just expensive whole-genome sequencing.
Most mutation signatures require full genome sequencing — but this study proved a targeted cancer panel used in clinics can spot this bacterial fingerprint, making it scalable.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re under 55 and have a family history of colon cancer, ask your doctor if tumor genomic testing (like MSK-IMPACT) was done — and if SBS-pks was detected.
Publication
Journal
Cancer Research
Year
2024
Authors
Stefanie Gerstberger, M. Lumish, S. Hartner, Farheen Shah, Seongmin Choi, A. Luthra, Qingwen Jiang, H. J. Woo, Ahmed Mahmoud, H. Walch, Simran Asawa, M. Donoghue, A. Cercek, R. Yaeger, Andrew Mcpherson, F. Sánchez-Vega, K. Ganesh
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Claims (6)
Colorectal cancers with colibactin-related DNA damage patterns show the same levels of overall mutations and known cancer-causing gene changes as other colorectal cancers, suggesting colibactin causes cancer through a different biological mechanism.
When human colon tissue grown in the lab is exposed to a specific type of E. coli that produces colibactin for three months, it develops a unique pattern of DNA damage that matches the pattern seen in human colorectal cancers.
A specific pattern of DNA damage caused by a bacterial toxin can be identified in tumor samples using a targeted DNA sequencing test called MSK-IMPACT, without needing to sequence the entire genome.
Certain strains of Escherichia coli that produce colibactin cause distinct double-strand breaks in the DNA of cells lining the colon, leading to characteristic mutation patterns known as SBS88 and ID18.
Certain strains of E. coli that produce a toxin called colibactin are linked to a specific pattern of DNA damage found in colorectal tumors. This DNA damage pattern is more commonly found in tumors from people diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 55 compared to those diagnosed at age 59 or older.