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20 resultsShowing papers similar to Could Microplastics Be a Driver for Early Onset Colorectal Cancer?
ClearMicroplastics and the Rising Tide of Early‐Onset Colorectal Cancer: Exploring the Environmental Gut Connection
This paper explores the potential connection between microplastic exposure and the rising rates of early-onset colorectal cancer. The study discusses how microplastics may interact with the gut environment, suggesting that further research is needed to understand whether environmental microplastic contamination could be contributing to this emerging health trend.
The Impact of the Gut Microbiome, Environment, and Diet in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Development
This review explores why colorectal cancer is increasing among younger people, pointing to changes in gut bacteria, diet, and environmental exposures as likely contributors. Microplastics are discussed as one of several environmental factors that may be disrupting the gut microbiome and promoting inflammation linked to cancer development. The findings suggest that the rising tide of environmental contaminants, including microplastics, could be playing a role in this troubling health trend.
Rethinking the rise of early-onset gastrointestinal cancers: a call to action
A multidisciplinary team of researchers is raising the alarm about a dramatic increase in gastrointestinal cancers in people under 50 since the early 1990s, including colorectal, stomach, and pancreatic cancers. The causes remain poorly understood, but the researchers call for studying environmental exposures including the full range of chemicals people encounter throughout their lives. While the paper does not name microplastics specifically, the rise in early-onset GI cancers coincides with increasing environmental plastic pollution, and the gut is a primary site of microplastic accumulation in the body.
Why Is Colorectal Cancer Occurring Earlier? Metabolic Dysfunction, Underrecognized Carcinogens, and Emerging Controversies
Researchers reviewed the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer in people under 50, synthesizing epidemiological, molecular, and multi-omics evidence that implicates metabolic dysfunction, accelerated epigenetic aging, gut microbiome dysbiosis, and modern environmental exposures including micro- and nanoplastics as converging contributors to this trend.
The clinical relevance of microplastic exposure on colorectal cancer: A systematic review
This systematic review of four studies found that microplastic accumulation in colorectal cancer tissue (25.9-32.2 particles/g) was significantly higher than in healthy controls, with polyamide, polycarbonate, and polypropylene as the most common polymers detected. While a causal relationship has not been established, the evidence points to microplastics as a potential environmental factor in colorectal cancer development.
Microplastics and Colorectal Cancer: Presence in Human Colorectal Tissues and Associations with Tumor Biology- A Systematic Review
This review of 13 studies found that tiny plastic particles called microplastics are present in human colon tissues, with higher amounts found in cancerous tumors compared to healthy tissue. The research suggests these plastic particles may contribute to colon cancer development by causing inflammation and creating conditions that help tumors grow. While more research is needed to prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship, this highlights growing concerns about how plastic pollution in our environment and food supply might affect human health.
Microplastics in Early Onset Carcinogenesis
This review examines the emerging hypothesis that chronic microplastic exposure may contribute to cancer risk, noting that these particles provoke oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and microbiome disruption. Researchers highlight a temporal overlap between rising plastic production since the 1950s and increasing rates of early-onset cancers, though a causal link has not been established. The study suggests that lifelong microplastic exposure beginning in utero warrants further investigation as a potential contributing factor.
Invisible invaders: unveiling the carcinogenic threat of microplastics and nanoplastics in colorectal cancer-a systematic review
This systematic review examines the potential link between microplastics and nanoplastics and colorectal cancer. The research highlights how these tiny particles may contribute to cancer development through mechanisms like chronic inflammation and cellular damage in the gut. While more studies are needed, the findings raise important questions about the long-term consequences of ingesting plastic particles.
Orally Ingested Micro- and Nano-Plastics: A Hidden Driver of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer.
This review synthesizes evidence linking ingested micro- and nano-plastics to inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer risk, proposing that microplastics act as a hidden driver of gut inflammation in vulnerable populations. The authors argue that intestinal accumulation of microplastics triggers immune and oxidative stress pathways that contribute to disease progression.
Microplastics: An emerging environmental risk factor for gut microbiota dysbiosis and cancer development?
This review examines how microplastics may disrupt the gut microbiome and immune system in ways that could promote cancer development. Evidence from recent studies suggests microplastics can cause chronic inflammation, alter the balance of gut bacteria, and trigger molecular pathways linked to several cancer types including lung, liver, breast, and colon cancer. While more human research is needed, the review highlights a concerning connection between microplastic exposure, gut health, and cancer risk.
Is it time to reduce the age of screening for colorectal cancer?
This paper is not about microplastics; it is a brief New Zealand Medical Journal editorial discussing whether the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening should be lowered.
Don't take this lying down: an urgent wakeup call: the weight of diet and lifestyle in the young‐onset colorectal cancer surge
This editorial discusses the rise of young-onset colorectal cancer (YO-CRC) in developed nations, noting that CRC is projected to become the leading cause of cancer mortality in those aged 20–49 by 2030, and examines the role of diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors including potential contributions from microplastics. It calls for urgent research and preventive action targeting modifiable risk factors in young adults.
Image 1_Invisible invaders: unveiling the carcinogenic threat of microplastics and nanoplastics in colorectal cancer-a systematic review.png
This systematic review examines the potential link between microplastics and colorectal cancer. It found that humans ingest over 70,000 microplastic particles annually, and that higher concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics have been observed in colorectal tumor tissues compared to healthy tissue, suggesting a possible connection worth further investigation.
Image 2_Invisible invaders: unveiling the carcinogenic threat of microplastics and nanoplastics in colorectal cancer-a systematic review.png
This systematic review examines the potential link between microplastics and colorectal cancer. It found that humans ingest over 70,000 microplastic particles annually, and that higher concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics have been observed in colorectal tumor tissues compared to healthy tissue, suggesting a possible connection worth further investigation.
Image 3_Invisible invaders: unveiling the carcinogenic threat of microplastics and nanoplastics in colorectal cancer-a systematic review.png
This systematic review examines the potential link between microplastics and colorectal cancer. It found that humans ingest over 70,000 microplastic particles annually, and that higher concentrations of micro- and nanoplastics have been observed in colorectal tumor tissues compared to healthy tissue, suggesting a possible connection worth further investigation.
Microplastic Exposure and Its Dual Impact on Metabolic Syndrome and Pathways of Colorectal Carcinogenesis: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological, Experimental, and Mechanistic Evidence
This systematic review examines evidence linking microplastic exposure to both metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer pathways. It found a biologically plausible connection between microplastic exposure and these conditions, though a direct clinical link to cancer has not yet been established.
The colorectal cancer conundrum: the rising burden in younger adults
Researchers analyzing 2025 U.S. cancer statistics found that colorectal cancer incidence is rising, with a notable shift toward younger adults and women — a trend that has accelerated in recent decades and is not fully explained by known risk factors. This changing demographic pattern raises questions about emerging environmental or lifestyle exposures, including potential roles for microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Rising Concern About the Carcinogenetic Role of Micro-Nanoplastics
This review examined the emerging concern that micro- and nanoplastics may play a role in cancer development, either directly or by carrying chemical carcinogens into the body. Researchers noted that while direct evidence is still limited, the rising incidence of certain cancers in younger populations alongside increasing environmental plastic contamination has raised important questions. The study calls for more focused research to understand whether long-term microplastic exposure may contribute to cancer risk and what preventive measures might be warranted.
Microplastics: an often-overlooked issue in the transition from chronic inflammation to cancer
This review explores how microplastics that accumulate in the human body may trigger long-lasting inflammation, which is a known driver of cancer development. The authors describe how microplastics can disrupt the gut microbiome, activate immune responses, and alter signaling pathways in ways that could promote tumor growth over time.
From Exposure to Oncogenesis: the Role of Microplastics and Associated Pollutants in Cancer - a Literature Review
This literature review examined the growing evidence linking microplastic exposure to cancer development. Microplastics have been found in human lung, liver, and colon tissue, and research suggests they may promote cancer through chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and by carrying known carcinogens like heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants into the body.