Dr Lieu on the Importance of Global Collaboration for Addressing Rising Rates of Early-Onset CRC

"It's a global problem. We need to work with people that aren't in our subspecialty, which means working with people who have expertise in the gut microbiome. We [also] need to work together with survivorship [teams] as well to make sure that we're taking care of our patients after we treat their cancer. This needs to be a [huge] collaborative effort."

Christopher Lieu, MD, codirector of the Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Program, associate director for clinical research, and a professor of medicine in the Department of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Cancer Center, discussed why a more collaborative mindset and improved general understanding of disease biology are critical for changing the current trajectory of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC).

In honor of CRC awareness month, Lieu and his colleague, John L. Marshall, MD, examined the potential factors behind the troubling rise of early-onset CRC and the multidisciplinary strategies needed to address it. Lieu observed that although the average age of a patient with this cancer is still around 65 to 66 years old, the increasing percentage of younger patients requires oncologists to work together across the globe to study the phenomenon effectively.

A central theme of the discussion was the necessity of engaging with experts outside the traditional oncology subspecialty, particularly those with expertise in the gut microbiome. Lieu emphasized that researchers must become "microbiome experts" or collaborate closely with those who are to better understand the disease biology. He highlighted the importance of survivorship, noting that a collaborative effort is required to care for patients both during and after their active cancer treatment.

Partnerships with microbiologists, epidemiologists, and computational biologists, as well as global data-sharing initiatives to increase statistical power in studying relatively uncommon age-defined subsets, will accordingly be essential for unearthing factors that may be contributing to the rise in early-onset disease, Lieu concluded.

To hear more exclusive commentary from Drs Marshall and Lieu on this topic, be sure to check out our accompanying feature.