Doctors may have moved one step closer to revealing why colorectal cancer cases are surging among younger adults.
A mysterious rise in cases among under-55s has sparked concerns in medical circles, especially as the cancer is being spotted among healthy youngsters who ‘run marathons’ and watch their diet.
Now doctors at Georgetown University, in Washington D.C., say the uptick could be linked to changes in young people’s gut microbiomes.
They found that tumors from younger patients were more likely to contain the fungus Cladosporium sp. when compared to older patients.
The fungus is only occasionally found in the human gut, where it is suspected to be an invader that does not aid in digestion. The fungus is also known to cause infections of the skin and nails.
