New research has found key differences between bowel cancer diagnosed before and after 50, and researchers say this could help doctors tailor treatment for younger patients more effectively.
A growing concern for younger Australians
Led by Flinders University and Flinders Medical Centre and published in the Medical Journal of Australia, the study analysed data from 1691 Australians whose bowel cancer had spread only to the liver, the most common place for bowel cancer to spread.
The study found that “younger patients differed from older patients in tumour biology, disease characteristics and survival outcomes”.
“Understanding why more young adults are developing bowel cancer is one of the biggest challenges facing researchers and clinicians,” says Professor Savio (George) Barreto, a Consultant with the HPB and Liver Transplant Unit at Flinders Medical Centre, SALHN and researcher at Flinders University.
“We still have much to learn about why these cancers develop and how they differ from those diagnosed in older people.
“Our study helps build a clearer picture of the disease and suggests that younger patients may have distinct tumour characteristics that should be considered when treatment decisions are being made.”
Key differences
The study reportedly found younger patients are “more likely to be women, more likely to have tumours on the left side of the bowel, and their tumours are more likely to carry certain genetic mutations”.
“These patients also lived longer overall than older patients after their cancer had spread to the liver,” according to the study.
Researchers also found that specific genetic mutations known as BRAF and KRAS were associated with poorer outcomes across both age groups, highlighting the growing importance of genetic testing in understanding how an individual’s cancer may behave.
“Our findings reinforce the need to look beyond a patient’s age when planning treatment because every cancer is unique,” says Professor Barreto.
“The more we understand about the biology of a tumour, the better equipped we are to tailor treatment and identify the options most likely to benefit each patient.”
The research also found that patients who underwent surgery to remove liver tumours, followed by drug therapies, generally had better outcomes than those receiving other treatment approaches.
However, the researchers caution that the study cannot prove one treatment directly caused better survival because it was based on data collected from routine clinical practice rather than a clinical trial.
“Treatment decisions should take into account a person’s overall health, the extent of their cancer and the unique characteristics of their tumour,” says Professor Barreto.
“Better understanding of these differences is an important step towards delivering more personalised care and improving outcomes for patients and their families.”
The researchers say the findings add to growing efforts to understand the rise of bowel cancer in younger adults and could help guide future research and treatment strategies
