Marvella Ford and Kristin Wallace are among researchers who have studied colorectal cancer disparities and rates. These researchers are becoming increasingly concerned as more young individuals are diagnosed with this cancer. Wallace recently published a study that looked at genetic markers which could explain the disparities in outcomes and diagnoses between whites and African Americans earlier in the year.
The study, which was published in “Frontiers in Oncology,” found that in comparison with whites, African Americans had a lower prevalence of rectal noncancerous tumors and were generally more susceptible to noncancerous tumors. The study also found that these lesions had higher chances of possessing immunosuppressive signatures, which suggested a compromised immune system response to the disease.
Previous studies have discovered that these differences were especially pronounced in younger patients, noting that researchers needed to focus on why there was a difference in survival in younger Caucasian patients vs. in young African Americans below age 50.
A study published last year in “Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology” also identified various counties in South Carolina as hot spots for this type of cancer.
Ford is interested in the socioeconomic, geographical and behavioral factors that could be causing younger individuals, particularly African Americans in South Carolina, to succumb to colorectal cancer. Researchers are also concerned about why some populations have worse outcomes than others. A 2019 study that Wallace was a part of found that while rectal cancer among Caucasians saw the highest increase, the rates of survival for all early-onset colorectal cancer improved except for young African Americans who had been diagnosed with proximal colon cancer.
Wallace explained that the disparities may be partly attributed to genetics and ancestry, noting that behavioral and lifestyle factors such as stress, smoking, diabetes and obesity likely played a bigger role. While more research is needed to discover the cause of the increase in colorectal cancer cases, clinicians and the CDC recommend regular screening begin at age 45, as early diagnosis and beginning treatment early has a much better outcome for the patients as well as a higher survival rate.
At the moment, no effective therapy exists for advanced-stage colorectal cancer. If the disease is caught in stage 1 or 2, the survival rate is 90%. However, advanced cases that are diagnosed and begin treatment later only have a 10% average survival rate.
Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease, a family history of colorectal cancer or genetic syndromes are advised to get screened more frequently — and earlier. With companies such as AnPac Bio-Medical Science Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: ANPC) specializing in bringing cutting-edge innovations to the cancer-screening segment, early cancer diagnostic technology could soon be readily available to all who need those services.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to AnPac Bio-Medical Science Co. Ltd. (NASDAQ: ANPC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ANPC
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