We have been actively investigating the global trend of early-onset cancers (generally meaning adult cancers diagnosed before age 50) in many different organs.
In our analyses published in a review (Ugai T et al. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2022; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36068272/; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41571-022-00672-8), early-onset cancers in the breast, colorectum, endometrium, esophagus, extrahepatic bile duct, gallbladder, head & neck, kidney, liver, bone marrow (multiple myeloma), pancreas, and stomach has exhibited rising incidence in multiple countries. Among those 12 cancer types, 8 relate to the digestive system, potentially implicating the important pathogenic role of diets and intestinal microbiome. This review attracted huge attention and there have been tons of media coverage.
We have published a review specifically on early-onset colorectal cancer, emphasizing the importance of integrative research such as molecular pathological epidemiology (Akimoto N et al. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2021; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33219329/).
We have led a number of analyses of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) as follows.
A consortium study including over 3,000 early-onset colorectal carcinoma cases (vs. later-onset CRC cases) regarding molecular pathology and detailed tumor location (Ugai T et al. Am J Gastroenterol 2023; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36707929/).
A consortium study including nearly 3,000 early-onset colorectal carcinoma cases (vs. later-onset CRC cases) regarding molecular pathology, detailed location, and patient survival (Ugai T et al. J Gastroenterol 2023; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36648535/).
A study on tumor-immune microenvironment including immune cell infiltrates in early-onset colorectal carcinomas vs. later-onset CRC (Ugai T et al. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2022; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34529108/).
A study showing hypomethylation of LINE-1 as a feature of early-onset colorectal carcinomas (Akimoto N et al. Cancers 2021; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33922024/).
A systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 database (Gu W et al. Cancers 2022; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35884567/).
Many other collaborative analyses. See https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=ogino+s+early-onset&sort=date&size=200
