Colon Stiffness from Inflammation May Drive Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

UT Southwestern and UT Dallas researchers link long-term colon inflammation to tissue stiffening, a change that may drive the development and growth of early-onset colorectal cancer. Analyses of patient samples show both tumors and nearby noncancerous tissue are stiffer in early-onset cases, with denser, longer collagen and upregulated genes tied to collagen metabolism, angiogenesis, and inflammation. Lab models demonstrate that cancer cells grow faster on stiffer substrates, implicating mechanotransduction in initiating and accelerating early-onset CRC and suggesting that measuring intestinal stiffness could help identify at-risk individuals and guide prevention or treatment.