The study asked whether early-onset colorectal cancer is biologically distinct from average-onset disease. Researchers mapped the transcriptome of colorectal tumours from patients across the age continuum. Tumours from younger adults contained more stromal cells than those from older adults. They also showed higher expression of long non-coding RNAs and of genes associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The work describes differences in tumour gene expression by age and does not test what causes them.
Why it is interesting: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer is rising, but whether it is biologically distinct is unclear. Evidence that these tumours differ in cellular make-up and gene expression bears directly on that question.
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